And yet, they all have the same ending and the same desire for home to remain the home it was, for the things that surround you to stay with you, for the place where you live to be your space, for your neighbours to be the ones you have lived and talked with throughout your life.
There is a lot of energy, positive or negative, in what happens in a person throughout life. But your aspirations in all areas remain the same, no matter how old you are or what your abilities are. But when the decision-makers come along and change the course of life and one's well-being, let us ask ourselves whether these are really the only ways to make life easier, or whether they just turn it into a constant struggle to return to one's environment, to want a sense of security; to want familiar faces, to want the things that we have accumulated and cherished all our lives.
After a severe bout of pneumonia, which her mother Francka had suffered, her mobility was very difficult. The facility where she was being treated called to say that she would be sent home to our care. This worried us very much, as we were all away all day due to work commitments. As she was almost 90 years old, we had applied for residential care some time ago with her consent. We were fortunate to be able to arrange an admission. The ward was called Solar compartment. There, she was given a nice little room with her own toilet and bathroom. We visited her regularly, almost every day, which she expected, because we visited her regularly at home.
Every time I came to visit, she would sit sadly at the table and look ahead without the glow in her eyes that she had at home when she made pancakes for her grandchildren, made coffee and loved to chat. Every time we visited, she would ask if her apartment was still the way it was. Of course it was waiting for her. "Take me home," she asked one day when we visited with her son. "No one says anything here. If I say hello, they don't say hello back. What am I supposed to do here?"
As I listened to her, my heart was breaking with sadness. Maybe she is right. She was already in the condition she was before the pneumonia. We agreed to take her home where she was so happy. When we arrived at the apartment, the glow in her eyes was visible again, something that had been missing when she was in the home. The next day she had already baked pancakes. When I visited her, she made me coffee; she was very happy. Happy in her little room and in the kitchen, with the things she had accumulated throughout her life and which meant a lot to her. This happiness lasted for about half a year, and then illness visited her again. She had to go to hospital and the illness was too severe for her body to withstand.
The thought of the day when my son and I granted her heart's desire warms my heart. You cannot measure happiness, but it went far to a man I loved very much. My emotions are still stirring when I think about that day. I know we did the right thing. We both still remember that day and it will always make us happy.
Marta Smodiš, 27 Feb 2025
English (UK) 
Slovenščina 
Italiano 
Magyar