My mother is 80 years old, and despite being that old, she likes to be independent. I’ve told her multiple times that she shouldn’t be living alone at her age because anything could happen, but she told me that she doesn’t want anyone waiting on her hand and foot. She has one of those buttons that you can press to alert the paramedics if something happens, but I don’t think that’s enough. I had to get an air conditioning installation in Brooklyn for her because her air conditioner went out recently, but she kept saying that she didn’t need it, and that she would be able to withstand the heat.

Although my mother likes to play the role of a strong person, she’s just as vulnerable as anyone else, maybe more at her age. She could easily pass out from heat stroke, or something worse could happen to her. If anything like that happened, I would only blame myself, because I could have done something to prevent it. She always insists that nothing will happen to her and that I’m just worrying too much, but she just doesn’t seem to realizes that she’s at the age where things are more likely to happen to her.

Once the new air conditioner was installed in my mother’s home, she loved that the cool air was in her home again. She thanked me for having the installation done, but she still insisted that she didn’t need it and that I should stop worrying about her. It’s kind of impossible for me to not worry about her, so I’ll just have to keep tabs on her. I’ll let her live alone, but I’ll call her every day to make sure that she’s doing fine, and stop by her home at least once a week for an in person visit.