Questions About Breaking Out of Bedlam

by Leslie Larson (Goodreads Author)

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I would love to know what inspired Leslie Larson to write this book. I'm not sure I would have given much thought to the issues dealt with here at an earlier age and wonder what might have contributed to her insight?

Leslie Larson Hi, Jeannie. Thanks for the question! So many reasons I wrote the book, but here are the quick answers:

We're all going to get old sooner or later (if…moreHi, Jeannie. Thanks for the question! So many reasons I wrote the book, but here are the quick answers:

We're all going to get old sooner or later (if we're lucky) and I often wonder (worry) what will happen when I can no longer take care of myself. I suspect I'm not the only one

Both of my grandmothers spent the last years of their lives in assisted living—one happily, and one not so much. It made me wonder what it would be like to find yourself in a home that is not your own, with people you've never met before, many of whom are not there by choice. For one of my grandmothers, it was the answer to her dreams. She told me, "I never thought I would stop being lonely, but now I have friends." She had also raised four children on her own, worked hard all her life, and finally could relax and let other people shoulder the burdens of daily life. My other grandmother hated being in assisted living, but like Cora in my novel, she fell in love and got a new lease on life. Unfortunately, it did not end happily.

My mother worked for many years in an assisted living facility (a nice one), and growing up I met some of the residents and heard many stories from my mother about what it was like to live there.

One summer while I was in college I supported myself as a dishwasher at a convalescent home (state run, not nice) and that informed my description of the upstairs ward in Breaking Out of Bedlam. It was nightmarish.

In the years since the book was published, I've had the chance to speak, teach, and read at a number of senior facilities and I've experienced the activism around senior rights and aging with dignity. To me, it is one of the most important issues we face and I continue to be intrigued and inspired by what happens to all of us as we grow older.(less)

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