Kudos to you for being caregiver and care-coordinator for your in-laws. And let me say, I like their doctor. Even though they may not understand or remember what the doctor is saying, he is not minimizing their presence in the office. It says volumes about a doctor who addresses the patient even when they have multiple issues and may not have solid memory or understanding.

My mother, although she passed away in 2013, is my role model for how I want to live my life in my twilight years. I guess, throughout her younger life, she trained for the end of life; or maybe, she trained for how she wanted to live her twilight years. At the age of 83, she traveled, alone, to the Easter Islands and three months later to the Galapagos. When she returned in February, she started taking Zumba class. By May, she found breathing difficult and blamed it on her life long struggle with allergies and asthma. Unfortunately, in June, she finally went to the doctor for her asthma and was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. It didn’t stop her: she still attended church and church functions, she still went out on Saturday nights for dinner with her friends. Two months to the date of the diagnosis she passed away with no regrets on how she lied her life.

Several years ago, I started being mindful of what I put in my body (even the medications doctors insisted I take), the quality of the foods I consumed, and how active I am. In looking at my mom’s life, I want my quality of life to imitate hers.