Gerontology
One of the reasons I have not been on here much is that my dad was diagnosed last February with pancreatic cancer. Maybe it was March, hard to say since life has been such a blur since. My rents live in Dubuque Iowa so they were at Mayo a lot off and on for days at a time, never knowing when he'd go home and finding out how bad it was. It is a bad kind of cancer to have and you don't hear anything more optimistic than 2 years for the most part, if that. It is funny how once you or a deeply loved one has an infliction how many other people you've known for periods of time know someone who had the same thing. Guess it is humanity to bond and only care when it is relevant...Anyway, he is really sick and basically someone I had no concept of being off this planet, ever and now he may leave soon. Sooner than I can deal with anyway.
Meanwhile my mom's me memory has deteriorated. She is a lot sillier now, I diagnosed her with Alzheimers years ago and though it has not formally been diagnosed I'd, unfortunately, be willing most of my life on it. Anyway, she is a lot lighter with the dementia. I loved her before but really enjoy the time we spend together now. Dad said it has helped their relationship too as she was a massive grudge holder and now every day she wakes up happy and in love, forgetting about what may have ticked her off the day before. Heh.
I've worked with older adults since 1996 when I graduated with my bachelor's in Social Work. I've really loved it, been passionate about it, done well and had my future planned out. So I got my Master's in Gerontology and still loved it. But now that my parents are getting old and deteriorating I am not so sure about Gerontology. It is a lot easier to deal with these things when it isn't your parents. My instant-friend/real estate agent got me drunk and made me talk about it and said that maybe it would make me a better Gerontologist, my view of things has certainly changed. Guess time will tell.