The National Institute of Ageing recently conducted a large-scale survey of Canadians to address the topic of living at home as a senior. They found that 91 percent of all Canadians regardless of age prefer and plan to live at home for as long as they possibly can.
Life’s simple pleasures are as varied and as different as the people who experience them. Waking up in the morning to the smell and taste of a strong cup of coffee; sitting out on the deck waiting for the sun to set; and listening to the birds sing or the rain fall in the early morning; these are examples of things that breathe life into our days.
Sometimes I wonder what residents from our long-term care home are thinking and feeling as I speed past them with ease, my balance and my strength at their peak. I breeze past some residents who are only able to use wheelchairs and others who can walk only slowly with the use of a walker or cane. I take it for granted that I can mobilize without fear and I do not need to rely on a device to assist me.