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Keren Brown Wilson
Shelley is Lou’s daughter. When Lou is 88, his health starts to deteriorate, so Shelley has him move in with her. This not only makes Lou feel that he has lost control over his life, but it also places huge burdens on Shelley. Shelley has to bathe him, cook for him, and manage his medications—on top of having a job and two kids to care for. The situation ultimately becomes untenable, which is why Shelley and Lou decide he should go to an assisted living facility. When Lou’s health grows even worse, Shelley contemplates moving him to a nursing home, despite his adamant protests. This dynamic reflects that between many elderly people and their children: the children want safety for the parents, while the parents want autonomy for themselves.
Shelley Quotes in Being Mortal
The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Shelley or refer to Shelley. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
Taking care of a debilitated, elderly person in our medicalized era is an overwhelming combination of the technological and the custodial. […] The burdens for today’s caregiver have actually increased from what they would have been a century ago. Shelley had become a round-the-clock concierge/chauffeur/schedule manager/medication-and-technology troubleshooter, in addition to cook/maid/attendant, not to mention income earner. Last-minute cancellations by health aides and changes in medical appointments played havoc with her performance at work, and everything played havoc with her emotions at home. Just to take an overnight trip with her family, she had to hire someone to stay with Lou, and even then a crisis would scuttle the plans. One time, she went on a Caribbean vacation with her husband and kids but had to return after just three days. Lou needed her.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Being Mortal LitChart as a printable PDF.
Shelley Quotes in Being Mortal
The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Shelley or refer to Shelley. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
Taking care of a debilitated, elderly person in our medicalized era is an overwhelming combination of the technological and the custodial. […] The burdens for today’s caregiver have actually increased from what they would have been a century ago. Shelley had become a round-the-clock concierge/chauffeur/schedule manager/medication-and-technology troubleshooter, in addition to cook/maid/attendant, not to mention income earner. Last-minute cancellations by health aides and changes in medical appointments played havoc with her performance at work, and everything played havoc with her emotions at home. Just to take an overnight trip with her family, she had to hire someone to stay with Lou, and even then a crisis would scuttle the plans. One time, she went on a Caribbean vacation with her husband and kids but had to return after just three days. Lou needed her.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
