Coping with age & serious illness. Anyone positive want to share?

@cmdw2600

I like dogs, but I have heard that it’s not necessarily fast and easy to get a suitable for your needs and properly trained service dog. Have you checked on their availability in your area?

If you want primarily a companion animal and one of you is willing and able to care for it, that’s much easier. I got a puppy when I was 72, and 10 plus years later, she and I are still together. If she outlives me, I have arranged for my son, also a dog person, to take her so she doesn’t end her days in rescue at 13 y o.

Best wishes as you go forward.

I am 80 and have various chronic illnesses. They are all life-threatening so it's a crap shoot as to which one will be the winner. I only have right now - tomorrow isn't promised. I am looking into nursing homes, hospices, etc. so I have a plan in place when that time comes. I try to stay grateful for my life. And that's it!

@methel There’s an organization, Paws with a Cause, that trains service dogs for this purpose. Application begins at the beginning of the year and I don’t know if we would be chosen. I would only be doing this as a benefit to my husband (even though I love dogs) as I would prefer to keep life simple at this point.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Juggling multiple conditions while aging is challenging…my late husband had Alzheimer’s and cancer, yet he found much to enjoy, just not like before….i have CRC and osteoporosis, yet make the most out of life I can, bit not like my life before…still, even within some physical limits the human spirit seeks for what is available…somehow, we manage…after all, we’re still here, still celebrate sunrises and sunsets ! I remember being in my hospital bed, luckily by a window, and even in my groggy state somehow loved the changes I saw as the days progressed……I feel a lot of this spirit in these postings .

@cmdw2600

To me, it looks like what you need is a service dog. It probably won't stop your husband from falling or help pick him up. Care dogs are 100% LOVE! When you are down and depressed, Love brings you back!

Care dogs are amazing! Don't be conflicted or jealous, they are great!

Jan

These last several days, for whatever reasons, there are two words that keep coming to mind.
Resilient
Dedication
I don't pretend to understand what deep recess of my mind these prompts spout from. But they are a reminder that in my daily interface with life in general, and my personal issues in particular, the practice of both these will serve me well.
Ginger

@cmdw2600

Someone on this board who responded to me earlier (I don’t remember their name) actually has trained dogs for these types of things. Hopefully they will see your postings and respond to you. They sounded as if they could be a valuable source of information. (I’m just a canine lover; grew up with a dog, have always had at least one dog; have loved and lost many dogs, but not a professional trainer or veterinarian. )

@gravity3
Good morning gravity 3: None of the balls are going to hit the ground: That is, they might, if you can't change the way you perceive your daily life. Most folks our age have all these plus additional health risks and my thought along these lines at my age follow:
Forget about gravity: it was here at the origins of the earth and without it, none of would even be here. What I am trying to say is, one usually cannot do anything regarding health issues other than changing a lifestyle or rethinking your diet. It is what it is. After my wife and I got through a colectomy, a permanent Ostomy, radiation enteritis, and frequent blockages, a few years later , I underwent a triple bypass: no stents, straight transfer to artery replacement from my own body. That was in 2017. Currently, both of us have atrial fibrillation...who knows what is next.
So my Wife and I, just get up each day, make our bed, do our laundry, get groceries in and climb on our trikes, recumbent, and ride off, sometimes 20 to 30 miles per day. If our time comes, I would rather be enjoying myself with my gal. I realize that you have faced challenges that definitely put you down, but attitude, can play a big role in ones lifetime. Your on our prayer list so write anytime so we can lift up each other. Remember, growing older is not for the faint-hearted. Be who you are and just do "one more thing for you, each and every day. Then, every other day, do something nice for a stranger. It's a grand life as long as we keep moving.
Jofree

@cmdw2600 in NYC, Puppies Behind Bars provided some nice dog time for both of us…prisoners rehab themselves by training dogs, who are then brought to the city, where volunteers take them around to cheer up seriously ill people and their caregivers. Loved those pups !

@jofree

Thanks for the encouragement. I certainly made it seem as though I am struggling mightily . I definitely have my moments. There is plenty to deal with and I have a well developed sense of humor and pragmatism about aging and death. I have a lot of curiosity about this whole process and it is good to know how others manage along the path. Thank you.