Feet First
Riding the Elder Care Rollercoaster with My Father
by
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Without my mother around, he didn’t eat properly or drink anything but diet soda. Bacteria were building condos on his bathroom and kitchen floors, and when asked why he let the sliced meats sit on the counter for days on end, he’d say, "They were too cold in the refrigerator! They had no taste!!!" To my father, bacteria referred to the back room of a cafeteria…
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About the Book
A cross between Archie Bunker and Ralph Kramden, Ellie is an old-school New Yorker who has outlived his wife, his money, and his body. Angered and frustrated by his situation, he rejects all outside help (other than that of his youngest son) and sets out to prove he can still do it all by himself.
In Feet First, author Jamie Legon, Ellie’s son, narrates the humorous but cautionary tale through the minefield that is Ellie’s attempt at living alone at over ninety years of age. Incorporating facts and information about caregiving and elder issues, Jamie recalls the profound, disturbing, and enlightening experiences of caring for his father during Ellie’s last years of life. He also shares the lessons he learned along the way about loving, giving, and forgiving—even if those truths only became clear after the fact.
This memoir takes a humorous and realistic look at some of the challenges of the human condition, exploring a journey that produced feelings of guilt, fear, angst, and anger, but that, in the end, provided Jamie with a new perspective on the challenges and rewards of caring for aging parents.
About the Author
Jamie Legon began his career in the entertainment business producing concerts in South America before moving to Hollywood, where he produced and directed commercials and videos for more than twenty-five years. He currently resides with his family in Northern California.