MIND OR BODY?

I was watching an episode of Boston Legal the other night. One of the story lines was regarding an elderly man with Alzheimer's (a topic close to my heart as my Grandad suffered with this disease), his daughter wished to ease his pain with drugs and let him die peacefully and with some dignity. A line from the show which touched me,(I can't remember the exact words), was, we wouldn't put a dog through the misery of soiling itself or crying out in pain and confusion whenever it was touched - we would put it to sleep.

My Grandad was a brave, proud man. He raised a family, fought for his country, he believed in God, he was a marathon runner, never smoked, ate healthy food and hardly ever drank alcohol. He kept his mind active with his work and completed the crossword every day. In other words; he did all the things we are told will help keep mind, body and soul healthy.

I'd rather not share how his mind and body disintegrated became but I will say, it was a blessing in the end that he didn't know what was happening to him because he would have felt humiliated.

My Mum, is a caregiver for the elderly. She shares many stories of her time at work; some hilarious, others heartbreaking.

One of the ladies she cares for packs her bag every day and waits for her son to take her home. He never arrives, in fact, he doesn't even bother to visit anymore. She will forget this by morning and wake up expectantly with the same hope.

Another of Mum's ladies is as sharp as a tack. She's intelligent and wise but her frail body doesn't allow her out of bed most days.

With all the medical breakthroughs these days, people are living longer. But at what cost? What's the point of having a healthy body if the mind has gone and vice versa?

One of the lessons I have learned from my Grandad's death is it's important to look after our body and mind but not at the expense of living life. Everything in moderation is the key.

You only live once-but if you work it right, once is enough.

Joe.E.Lewis