Porcupine People, Thorns in the Flesh, and Other Prickly Problems

Nearly one year ago, my family and I took in our beloved 86-year old childhood neighbor and friend. I had been trying for a few years prior to this transition to convince her to sell her home and move to a retirement community, but she had been in her house since she was adopted at the age of nine and it was understandably hard for her to leave. Her adopted mother passed away in 1982, and she had no family of her own. Her home was all she had. We eventually learned that the local police had been called to her home quite frequently, so they ultimately reported her to Adult Protective Services. Desiring to do the right thing out of gratitude for her kindness to three generations of our family, we brought her to live with us with the intention of nursing her back to her optimum health, helping to get her affairs in order and determining what the best living arrangements would be at such a time.

We had no idea what we were signing up for when we did.