Now introducing, the first Guest Writer:
Kathy Shea of Shea Communications is an experienced freelance writer who can spot a senior condo 
from assisted living, rattle off Medical Assistance eligibility, break down a long term care insurance policy, define a geriatric care manager, describe a reverse mortgage, and tell skilled from custodial care.What’s more, she knows full well how attitudes about aging are changing. Kathy writes and speaks on creative trends in aging and publishes the free e-newsletter, The Good Long Life. Decidedly not a “senior†publication, this newsletter invites those of any age to envision and plan for later years filled with growth, meaning and ongoing connection to community.
As part of my ongoing effort to identify and hold up what I call “aging mentors,” (older people who are aging in a way that I admire), I offer you a short profile of Rose McGonagle. She’s not one of those high-tech, google-savvy, web-surfing early adopters who jumps on the latest innovation. Rose is a woman who moves through life with practical grace, recognizing and doing what needs to be done—one step ahead of the game.
At a recent meeting, a 50-something woman named Kathleen McGonagle happened to say:
“I’m so proud of my mother, Rose. She’s 90, she’s active, healthy and living in her home, and just recently, she decided to sign up for a Metro Mobility card. Now, she can still drive and does; she’s the designated driver for a group of her friends. When I asked her why she wanted the card, she put it this way: ‘I know I can’t drive forever.’”
For those of you not in the know, Metro Mobility is one of four door-to-door services offered in the Twin Cities metropolitan area to participants who are certified eligible by a healthcare professional. (See below for more card details.) With a Metro Mobility card, you can call to schedule a ride at reasonable cost, and the driver will pick you up at your door and drop you off at an area location of your choice.
Now, back to Rose. It’s unusual for people to seek out such programs, to be proactive, and sign up ahead of the game. It’s far more common for people to wait until desperation sets in and then scramble to find a solution—or to have one’s relatives sort out the details.
In order for Rose to apply and receive her Metro Mobility card, she had to take the following steps:
push past the nay-sayers who told her she wouldn’t qualify since she was still healthy
order an application (by phone or online)
complete it
schedule a doctor’s appointment so that a physician could sign the form making her eligible
take a trip to St. Paul
While Rose did receive her Metro Mobility card this summer and keeps it safe within her wallet, she hasn’t used it yet. She can, and will use it, when the time is right.
For now, she drives locally, cleans her house and picks raspberries in her backyard. She’s the go-to person at her church when planning a funeral, she’s in four card groups, and she maintains relationships with many people of different ages. At her 90th birthday party, the guest list included over 100 names and most weren’t family. By modern aging standards and in the words of her daughter, Rose is “doing it all right.”
And it’s not surprising to Kathleen who takes great pride in her mother’s intentional ways. Rose has kept her friendships and made new ones over the years. She suffers from arthritis but she and her friends resist the urge to complain about their pain. When she retired, she wanted to retire a little before age 65, “before she had to.” And when a friend fell last year, she decided to plan ahead and install a Life Line medical alert service.
Rose isn’t a chronic worrier, says her daughter, just practical and wanting to stay ahead of things. “I admire her quiet nobility, how she takes responsibility for herself, for doing the right thing, and doesn’t link her self-worth to something like driving. I feel gratitude that she’s not leaving the decision about the car keys to me, but it’s more than that. Applying for that card was such a classy thing to do. I hope I can someday be that aware and selfless.”
See a sidebar on MetroMobility
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