Page 68 - 1st Anthology 2011

You don’t want to put your mother in a nursing home would you? You would not want
that to happen to you.

That’s something they should really bring back. You can’t really bring back, you can’t put
care in a person’s heart you have to learn to respect you mother. Your grandmother,
learn. Your biological grandmother, it’s just not practice with Indians as far as I could
remember. It’s important, people are talking about a nursing home on the reserve and I
heard that and I’m thinking to myself, oh no. To me a day is better because they already
got a home to go to. They would be better, feel more comfortable at home is better, just
like a daycare. They can go there during the day and do whatever, visit each other. I think

that’s a better idea, that’s what I think.

God willing. I think people want to think in terms of the city, for one thing, white people
have to put their elderly in a home. They have jobs and both of them work because they
have to pay taxes and pay everything. So Indian communities should be different. I see a
lot of values lost in the Indian family units. I noticed that they don’t really care for each
other. I came here and I observed. I’m from another reserve. When I was growing up they
cared for the elder parents. Their families cared for them. They looked after them. I think

that should be discussed as the people were growing old. Not just when they get senile
and put in a home.

I think that should be a process where families talk about the future but I think instead of
a nursing facility I’d like to see an Elders day home. Most Indians don’t want to leave their
home. Elders don’t want to leave their home. I saw that with Katie and Violet and they
can stay in their home as long as they are here.

There should be a day home. So they can go somewhere during the day and interact
socially with their own people. That way they wouldn’t get so lonesome being alone at
home. I see that with Katie, she got so lonesome you know she use to cry. She said all my
kids are gone and no one comes to visit me. That was about four or five years ago she said
that to me. She’s much older now and it seems they care a little bit better now. I think a
day home would be better, that’s what I think. I wouldn’t want to do to a nursing home
while I’m still able. When I can’t take care of myself, I’d expect my grandchildren to help
me. Now they have the home care services. Well that’s what I mean, I see the values lost

in this community.

Anyway another thing is respecting relatives, this is your grandma, this is your auntie,
this is your uncle. People need to be taught that too. One time old Mike at the elders
meeting said nobody calls me uncle no, nobody knows that anymore. So after the meeting

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