Page 29 - Ready Set Retire

Ready. Set. Retire!

This “go-go” phase of retirement lasted several years. Then, as
they grew older, Mom became unable to function on her own.
Dad was a few years older and unable to be much physical help,
so they hired a full-time nursing assistant for Mom. These were
the “slow-go” years. After a while her cognitive abilities lost
ground to dementia, and they realized they needed even more
help. They moved into an assisted living facility, right next to a
well-regarded Alzheimer’s facility in Seattle, so they could be
close to my brother and sister-in-law.

As Mom continued to decline into her “no-go” years, they
moved her into the Alzheimer’s center. Dad would go over
every day for lunch and then back every evening after dinner
to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, which they had been
doing for decades, together. They both found staying with their
routine to be very comforting as Mom was fading away. After
about a year in that facility, Mom began fading rapidly. By
some of miracle, I was there visiting when we had to put her
into hospice, and I was able to have a meaningful visit and
goodbye with her. A few weeks later she was gone. Dad missed
her terribly, and then joined her about three years later. He was
at peace, ready to go, and eagerly anticipating rejoining his soul-
mate.

Why do I go into this? Because it’s what retirement is about.
Retirement isn’t about money, other than the fact that having

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