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Shelved: A Memoir of Aging in America
Sue Petrovski has always been capable, thoughtful, and productive. After retiring from a long and successful career in education, she published two books, ran an antiques business, and volunteered in her community. When her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and until her death eight years later, Petrovski served as her primary caregiver. She even cared for her husband when he also succumbed to dementia.
However, when Petrovski's husband fell ill with sepsis at the age of 82, it threw everything into question. Would he survive? And if so, would she be able to care for him and manage the family home where they had lived for 47 years? More importantly, how long would she be able to do so? After making the decision to sell their house and move into a senior living community, Petrovski found herself thrust into the corporate care model of elder services available in the United States.
In A Memoir of Aging in America , she reflects on the move and the benefits and deficits of American for-profit elder care. Petrovski draws on extensive research that demonstrates the cultural value of our elders and their potential for leading vital, creative lives, especially when given opportunities to do so, offering a cogent, well-informed critique of elder care options in this country.
Shelved provides readers with a personal account of what it is like to leave a family home and enter a new world where everyone is old and where decisions like where to sit in the dining room fall to low-level corporate managers. Showcasing the benefits of communal living as well as the frustrations of having decisions about meals, public spaces, and governance driven by the bottom line, Petrovski delivers compelling suggestions for the transformation of an elder care system that more often than not condescends to older adults into one that puts people first―a change that would benefit us all, whether we are 40, 60, 80, or beyond.
However, when Petrovski's husband fell ill with sepsis at the age of 82, it threw everything into question. Would he survive? And if so, would she be able to care for him and manage the family home where they had lived for 47 years? More importantly, how long would she be able to do so? After making the decision to sell their house and move into a senior living community, Petrovski found herself thrust into the corporate care model of elder services available in the United States.
In A Memoir of Aging in America , she reflects on the move and the benefits and deficits of American for-profit elder care. Petrovski draws on extensive research that demonstrates the cultural value of our elders and their potential for leading vital, creative lives, especially when given opportunities to do so, offering a cogent, well-informed critique of elder care options in this country.
Shelved provides readers with a personal account of what it is like to leave a family home and enter a new world where everyone is old and where decisions like where to sit in the dining room fall to low-level corporate managers. Showcasing the benefits of communal living as well as the frustrations of having decisions about meals, public spaces, and governance driven by the bottom line, Petrovski delivers compelling suggestions for the transformation of an elder care system that more often than not condescends to older adults into one that puts people first―a change that would benefit us all, whether we are 40, 60, 80, or beyond.
186 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 13, 2018
I read this for a book to select for our church's book forum because most of the people are around Petrovoski's age and parents of one of my friends are in a retirement home. This was a humbling book on how we treated the elderly and how we "shelve" them and never think that they are human too. The reason for the 2 stars is Petrovski is such a "debby Downer" I have a Peter Pan complex and don't want to think about aging. One point of note was how she began to see the retirement home as a neighborhood.
December 31, 2017
An "insider's" reflections and observations on living life in a Senior Independent Living Center. The book would be an excellent resource for anyone contemplating this alternative- for themselves or for older family members.
December 31, 2018
This was our book club selection for January and it was an important read for me. Very forthright and honest about the aging process and the choices we currently experience in America, but also completely inspiring and optimistic! Bravo to Sue Petrovski for this timely book! Most grateful!
October 24, 2019
I am very interested in the subject of aging, so I enjoyed the info. The author did her research and I like her main message. You can enjoy your later years through creativity and retrospection. Also, stay involved as much as you can. Encouraging.
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March 16, 2018This was good..I think a lot of us want to hear about the real story, or experiences from a friend rather than academic articles, and Sue Petrovski's book reads like a friend giving you tips.
She quotes books and articles as well as poetry throughout her personal retelling of her journey. Sue goes from being a retired homeowner admittedly in denial about the signs of aging in herself and her husband, then suddenly realizes she may indeed need more help with her husband's dementia.
She quotes books and articles as well as poetry throughout her personal retelling of her journey. Sue goes from being a retired homeowner admittedly in denial about the signs of aging in herself and her husband, then suddenly realizes she may indeed need more help with her husband's dementia.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews