Living with family does not always cure loneliness
I called my daughter and went to live with her “for a while.” At first it was nice: dinners, talks, feeling included. But reality came quickly.
They had their routines, their work, their lives. I spent hours alone… Just like before, but now in a house that wasn’t mine.
The frictions appeared without bad intentions:
- “Mom, less salt.”
- “Mom, turn the volume down.”
- “Mom, on Saturday we go out, will you be okay?”
One day I heard my daughter say on the phone,
“I know it’s the right thing to do, but it’s exhausting.
That’s when I understood something painful: living with family doesn’t always make you feel accompanied. Sometimes it makes you feel invisible.l
In addition, each new person meant starting from scratch: explaining my habits, my tastes, my home. I felt tired, out of control, and increasingly dependent.
The residence: safe, clean… but not free
I agreed to try an assisted living facility. It was correct, orderly, well attended. But everything had a schedule:
- Sleep early
- Eating at five
- Do not leave after a certain time
One night I wanted to walk in the open air. They arrested me.
—Security policy.
I was 83 years old and someone decided when I should sleep.
That was not living. It was to exist.
