Staying put

She had had what is known in the trade as a “fair innings.” It was 15 years since my predecessor first raised the suggestion that she would be more comfortable in a residential home. She had resisted. Long before it became a standard package option for octogenarians, she had negotiated with a mortgage company to release her assets, and paid for home adaptations and a long string of live-in helpers. Today, she was dying—in a triumphant sort …