Care home v’s granny flat?....it’s a no brainer!
Here's a true story that I just had to share with you all since I heard it yesterday....and the lady concerned hadn't even read my post "What's in your genes"!
Yesterday I was introduced to this charming, vivacious lady who I had the pleasure of spending most of the day sailing with. At the end of the afternoon whilst we were sitting enjoying a celebratory glass of wine we had the following conversation:
Her: Well, my mother lived has with us in her own granny flat until recently, but now we're considering care homes.
Me: That's a hard one isn't it. My older children keep threatening me with a care home.... How did the granny flat work out for you all?
Her: It was great for a few years, you know, while mum was independent and active. It was nice that she could entertain and live her life independently knowing that we were just downstairs if she ever needed us.
Me: Sounds like a perfect solution when you have someone who's active and you just need to keep a caring eye on them.
Her: Yes, it generally worked out well except for the time when I was making breakfast one morning and I could hear some odd noises coming from upstairs. I was very concerned. I could hear this groaning and gasping. I dropped what I was doing and ran upstairs utterly convinced that she was suffering a heart attack or similar.
Me: God, how awful, did you get there in time?
Her: Oh yes. I got to her door with the phone in my hand ready to call an ambulance. As I got there I called out "Mum are you alright?, don't worry, I'm calling an ambulance' because there was still this god-awful groaning going on. Suddenly the noise stopped and she cheerily called out " I'm fine darling, I just have a friend visiting that's all"
By now this lady's story had me crying into my wine with laughter. The tears were streaming down my cheeks.
Me: Can I ask, how old was your mum when this happened?
My new acquaintance took a calming sip of wine and between teeth that were clenched with what I think was embarrassment uttered: Seventy-five.
Note to my children: If you're reading this, forget the care home idea. When the time comes I shall insist on a granny flat with soundproofing.