Nearing Home Book Review
Indiana Wesleyan University
Alyssa Greathouse

Nearing Home: A Review “Having lived for many years: not young” is how Merriam-Webster defines the word ‘old’ (Merriam-Webster, 2013). If this is what the word old truly does mean, how have we as a society manipulated this definition to portray growing ‘old’ as something to be looked down on? To be old is often times looked at as being incompetent, useless, or pitied. Old does not mean that a person becomes of lesser value; it simply means that they have lived for many years. I know that I have fallen into the category of people that sometimes think negatively toward growing older and elderly people. I have always viewed the elderly as people who don’t really have a place in society, as negative as that sounds. I often think of them as people who can’t do anything because their bodies are old and brittle. I have always assumed that the elderly have reduced physical and mental capacities and then have to live in nursing homes. Although this is true for some, it is definitely not true for all elderly persons. I have also viewed them as being strong in their faith since they really don’t have anything else to do with their lives since they are most likely retired. Throughout this course in my nursing degree and also after reading Nearing Home by Billy Graham, my attitude about the elderly generation has changed dramatically. I would define the word old as being something that has been around for a long time; worn in. I think of someone who is old and imagine how he or she are most likely enjoying a luxurious life of retirement as best they can, after having worked so many long years. All the while, dealing with the chronic illnesses that they have acquired and wonder how they have gotten to this point in their life. While this was my opinion, Billy Graham gave a new light to my thought. He