‘Well done, Lucille’

“Is it hard getting old?” a visitor asks.

“I thank God I have lived to get old,” Big Mama says. “But if I could be active more, that would be handy.”

Her sister Elizabeth, who’s 84 and lives with her temporarily while her own house awaits repair, shakes her head at the notion.

“Lucille, you can’t even stand up straight,” she tells her.

Lucille Blackwell's sister Elizabeth Stokes helps prepare Blackwell's breakfast.

“Well, I wish I could run and jump again and be happy in my body,” Big Mama replies.

This time last year, she was feeling well enough to drive the Subaru out to Carvins Cove, where she fished for bass.

This year she’s not so sure. Her chest has been hurting. Though her new home-care aide is reliable and honest, relatives worry she’ll jump ship for a better-paying job, as many do.

The AARP Public Policy Institute reports a 50 percent turnover rate in the personal-care field. “You can make as much at McDonald’s as you can doing this work, and yet this is some of the most grueling, emotional work there is,” says Terry Smith, director of Virginia’s Division of Long-Term Care.

Until Medicaid’s home-care reimbursement rates are raised, Smith adds, it’s likely that Big Mama and others will keep being cared for — or not cared for — by women whose work choices boil down to: Do I want to flip burgers, or do I want to change a Depends?

Barring sickness or emergency, Big Mama manages to get by most days. When her pantry’s running low and no one’s around, she still drives herself to the store.

“I have no spirit of fear, and I thank God for that,” she says. “See, when it’s my turn to go, I’m ready to stand before the King and hear him say, ‘Well done, Lucille.’ ”