I got that covered. Plan for plan B

My friend Mark thinks he has a plan to avoid going to nursing home. “I have a daughter. She is going to take care of me.” He’s got that covered.

When Mark is 85 years-old his daughter will be 41 years old. That would be mid-career Generation Y.

Mark thinks he has a good plan A, but he doesn't have that covered. What if, at mid-career, his daughter is a: state senator; concert virtuoso with a busy touring schedule; the CEO of a fortune 500 company; CIA covert operative; or international investigative journalist? Dad got his wishes fulfilled by having a daughter with a successful career. Mark might wonder, with her success, if she can afford to pay for 24 hour home care or put him in a nursing home. The likelihood that she is going to stay home cooking his favorite food and changing diapers is exactly nil.

What if his daughter has a mother with Alzheimer’s disease who is divorced from her father? Decisions decisions will it be Mom or Dad? Dad or Mom? Mom or Dad?

What if she marries an asshole? We have all seen sons-in-law who won’t permit the old folks to invade their lifestyle.  What if daughter has a disabled child who needs all her attention? Bye Dad. What if she is disabled herself from cardio-pulmonary complications of Lupus?  Not everyone is able to do what they intend to do or what others intend them to. Plan for plan B.

Thyme N. Haff

2012 August 15