Review of Not Dead Yet

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Rajnee Varma
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Review of Not Dead Yet

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Not Dead Yet" by Mark Fletcher.]
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5 out of 5 stars
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Not Dead Yet by Mark Fletcher is a collection of short stories about elderly people residing in an aged care facility. There are fourteen stories in all, illustrating various shades and aspects of human nature. The first story is about how the residents united to protest the manager’s indifference and lack of emotion, saying that she did not see them as individuals but as subjects only. There is a story about two men in their eighties who finally openly acknowledge being gay. The stories show how difficult it is to adjust to a new environment—a misspelled name badge makes one feel like losing identity, and mixing up laundry causes a fear of infection. There are women who now feel free to talk about sex and viagra, and there are men who feel humiliated when they suffer from incontinence.

The stories are based on different themes, but basically they show loneliness, the struggle to cope with personal care, adjusting to a new lifestyle, and the routine of the home. Jill is the manager of the facility, and initially she was not emotionally connected to the residents and was concerned only with fulfilling her duty and getting approved for her peak performance. There are stories of couples who came together in a home, people suffering from dementia and the fake visits organized by their families and staff, remembering childhood, teenage years, first dates, and kisses, and there are confessions. And it is quite surprising that love and romance blooms in a care facility, showing that love is not always physical; it is mutual understanding and friendship that cater to the emotional needs.

The author has successfully illustrated the lives of the residents and what they feel about their lives away from family and friends. The disciplined life around the clock, a fixed schedule for food and medicines, a fixed menu, a lack of privacy, and the negligence of their families are some of the issues to which some residents adjust and some do not. These are the stories of residents in the same facility, where the staff is good and caring but they have to follow rules and comply with the protocol, some of which the residents are not happy about. The residents realize that most of the visits by strangers to provide quality time are motivated by job requirements or school projects rather than empathy, but they humor them all the same. The stories are very helpful in understanding the sentiments of the elderly. There is nothing to dislike about the book, and I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.

The residents enjoy doing what they love—writing poems and stories, knitting, crocheting, chess, puzzles, word games, singing, and playing music. Residents are remembered with affection after death, more than their family members would remember them. The poems and songs written by the residents are heartfelt and give an insight into their minds. The stories convey the message that life should not end before we actually die. In spite of physical illnesses and deteriorating health, the elderly have every right to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment doing what they love. I would recommend it to people who like reading stories about diverse themes that provide a clear understanding of life and its meaning in preparation for death. I believe the book will inspire the readers to take better care of their elderly family members.

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Not Dead Yet
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