Ponder the following events I’ve recently attended in Seattle:
Viking Days – an outdoor festival of many elderly Norwegians and Swedes reveling in their lingonberry pancakes – and it’s silent. Strangely silent. Pete had to explain to me that it was the sound of Scandanavians not expressing their feelings, and it was fine.
Indian Days Pow Wow – summer in Seattle with hundreds of elderly Native Americans wearing feathers, fur and down parkas, beating on drums – smiling, unlike the Norwegians – but also relatively silent.
Now, back to my roots, where I’m watching the longest running Woody Allen movie – my parents are very, very noisy, and it seems normal.
The latest – unwilling to part with any of their piles (see related news stories I’ve posted about hoarding), and desiring a place the size of a bowling alley, my parents have retreated into resistance and denial once again. There was a brief chapter where home-based nurses or cleaners were considered, mostly because the price tag seemed like a bargain compared to a residential facility. However, that phase has passed for now. I’ve been trying to prod them with active listening – “and what do you think will happen next”? “how does that make you feel”? It doesn’t work well with people who refuse to use technology such as hearing aids or a phone built after 1970.
I’m monitoring from afar, worrying about the next crisis, hoping they stay relatively safe.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Elderly woman found dead in trash-filled Skokie, Ill., home
Chicago Tribune July 21, 2010
CHICAGO -- A 79-year-old Skokie, Ill., woman was found dead Monday night in a home so crammed with trash, police said a hole had to be cut in the roof to reach the woman. Marie Davis was found under a pile of debris in the single-family home in the Chicago suburb, officials said. Skokie police were called to the house Monday and saw the woman's 54-year-old daughter at the front door, sitting on a 6-foot pile of garbage and screaming for help, according to Skokie Police Cmdr. Michael Ruth. The woman told police her elderly mother was dead inside, Ruth said. "There was so much garbage, it left about 2 feet of space between the pile and the ceiling. Apparently there were tunnels and the residents had to crawl on top of the debris to get around," he said.
CHICAGO -- A 79-year-old Skokie, Ill., woman was found dead Monday night in a home so crammed with trash, police said a hole had to be cut in the roof to reach the woman. Marie Davis was found under a pile of debris in the single-family home in the Chicago suburb, officials said. Skokie police were called to the house Monday and saw the woman's 54-year-old daughter at the front door, sitting on a 6-foot pile of garbage and screaming for help, according to Skokie Police Cmdr. Michael Ruth. The woman told police her elderly mother was dead inside, Ruth said. "There was so much garbage, it left about 2 feet of space between the pile and the ceiling. Apparently there were tunnels and the residents had to crawl on top of the debris to get around," he said.
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