If only...

Rick and Julie. Julie and Rick. My neighbors. My friends. Don’t know which of ‘em to put first. As if it matters. It really doesn’t. Both are amazing human beings. Because they are coming through life. Together. As care-givers. For Julie’s Alzheimer-riddled father Ron. For five years, they had not only Ron in their home. But Julie’s mother Arlene, too. She also was in decline. With dementia. And died last year.  I thought it was a wise decision. When, a few months ago. Rick and Julie decided to place Ron in assisted living. And then a nursing home.  To allow for care-giving relief. Much-needed respite.  But Rick and Julie saw that wasn’t working. For Ron. He wasn’t receiving proper and humane care. He was being warehoused. And over-medicated.  He lacked one-on-one mental and physical stimulation. Unless Rick and Julie showed up.  To provide supplemental care. Didn’t matter that they were paying $10,600 a month. For Ron’s care. By so-called professionals. It was a rip-off. A scam.  A posh and beautiful nursing home. With so many amenities. Looked a little like an art gallery. But the actual care was grossly inadequate. Rick and Julie thought for a while. That maybe more money would fix the problem. They were initially paying $8,000 a month. But they agreed to pay more. Until it mounted to the $10,600. But nothing changed.   Ron wasn’t even getting outdoors. For much-needed daily walks.  Unless Rick and Julie and Ron’s friends showed up. To take charge.  Rick and Julie finally decided enough was enough. They rescued Ron. Took him back home again. Provided truly loving care. They are even taking him on a trip. This weekend. In their motor home. Ron knows. He’s been saved. From a terrible fate. In a nursing home.  Yes, Ron is far better off. Than he was. In the dreadful nursing home. But still, he has Alzheimer’s. That won’t go away. Until Ron dies.  There is no cure. Ron’s fate is sealed. But still, his journey is being made a little easier. Because of Rick and Julie. Extraordinary care-givers. Extraordinary human beings. If only the rest of the world was as extraordinary. –Jim Broede