Comments on: Of Grandparents and Dying

By: Jacob J

Jacob J — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:53:43 +0000

Eric, agreed, having people who depend on you is obviously a game changer. You make a great point about being curious to find out what the next life is like.

Stephen and Mondo, you bring up a good point about depression, it’s a terrible thing. We should make every effort to treat depression in people of all ages, elderly not excepted. I do think the desire to get unhitched can go hand in hand with depression, but I don’t think that it has to. I think Lewis’ point is that if we did not have bad things like disease, old age, and depression to encourage us to look forward to the next life, the gospel would still demand that eventually we realize that our real destiny is in another life, not this one.

Geoff, I had forgotten about you crashing in Bountiful with my grandparents (from the post, they are the the last pair who are still living on their own but both doing poorly). It is simply incredible how many people have stayed in that basement over the years. They have been known to invite total strangers to crash there when they (grandparents) weren’t even in town.

By: Stephen M (ethesis)

Stephen M (ethesis) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:56:38 +0000

A problem is that depression and the desire to get unhitched go hand in hand.

On the other hand, I was grateful that my dad’s Parkinson came to the end it did.

By: Geoff J

Geoff J — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:56:08 +0000

I think I told you I met one of your grandmothers once Jacob — about 20 years ago. The one in Bountiful, UT. (When my buddy who is your first cousin and I needed a place to crash one night.)

Anyhow, I am not sure what I said in that other thread but suspect the slippery slope issue is what keeps us from legalizing most forms of euthanasia.

Yup, we’re all gonna die. I think we can count on that (hopes of transfiguration notwithstanding). Nothing leads me to think deeply about theology more than death.

By: mondo cool

mondo cool — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:43:08 +0000

Research shows that about 60+% of the elderly experience clinical depression before death. Physiological changes in the brain, new and greater stressors (finances, health, loss, etc) are just some of things our seniors face that our cohort does not.
There is treatment. Seek out specialists for your loved ones. They can help.
While I believe it is perfectly normal to “be ready” to die, I sure miss my aging loved ones when they focus on what they cannot do instead of what they still can. (Pres. Hincley was fond of saying that.)
I also have often wondered if the difficulties we go through in “un-hitching from this life” are not a teaching moment to turn us back to the spirit component of our existence.

By: Eric Nielson

Eric Nielson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:48:03 +0000

I agree with you Jacob. But most people are probably not as pragmatic as you and I are. I sorta look forward to seeing what the spirit world is like. For now I can wait. For now I have responsibilities and people that kind of need me.