Old age. The preferable option.

Pardon me, Alzheimer care-givers. I gotta say it. There are far worse ways to die than of old age. Or Alzheimer’s, for that matter. My dear friend Claudia died the other day. Of breast cancer. At age 45. Another good friend, Ron, has Alzheimer’s. He’s 85. Fortunately, he didn’t die of cancer in his middle years. Instead, he has had time to pursue a successful career as a scientist at 3M. A marriage of 62 years, too. And retirement years in a cabin on Lake Superior. Ron is in assisted living now.  A shadow of his former self. But still, he’s with it to a degree. Enjoying daily walks. And visits from his daughter and son-in-law and pet dog. Could be worse. That is, if Ron had missed out on the last 40 years. I suspect Claudia would have happily settled for living into her 80s. Even if the price was a slow and lingering death from Alzheimer’s. –Jim Broede