As long as you are breathing, you still have the option to feel joy, while being and participating in life.

In Denmark we had for a period the discussion – how often elderly people living in a nursing home – should be allowed to take a bath.

Twice a week or once a week – that were the options.

I wonder what would happen, if I had a discussion with my girlfriend, regarding how many times a week she would be allowed to take a bath.

Giving her the option – one or two times a week –  she could have a bath; makes me believe, I would have the bathroom entirely for my self at the end of the day.

At one of the nation’s largest nursing home in Denmark, the older people are being left alone with wet diapers – sometimes half a day without being changed. The relatives, criticizing the conditions, have several times experinced being threatened with not being allowed to visit the nursing homes, if they openly and honestly are criticizing the conditions they are seeing their family members have to accept.

In the old days in Denmark, we did have nursing homes, where elderly people being happy and having a joyful day, was highly prioritized.

How does it come, elderly people are being looked at, as people without feelings and desires?

Why is it so often accepted in the public nursing homes?

Is it because people living at the nursing homes don’t look young and shiny anymore, – but rather from a production perspective of view, are out burned and useless. They are not bringing any value to the society anymore while being costly at our national budget.

As long as you are breathing, you still have the option to feel joy – being and participating in life.

How does it come, elderly people in Denmark, are being parked in a nursing home facility, almost as we want them to exit fast from life, and not enjoying the last part of their life, after they for many years before, have brought value to our society.

How does it come, that in some countries you see elderly people being a part of the society – working – and in other ways, bringing value to our society and close family members?

I believe it’s possible to have more then 80 odd years of happiness.

This video below, makes me wish people living in Denmark and other countries, would give older people a chance to bring value into there life, so they feel appreciated and valuable for the people they love and have cared for – for so many years before they did grow old them self.

Yours sincerely,

Marcus Vigilius Brendstrup