- An elderly married couple find that as their physical and mental health deteriorates, they find themselves dependent more and more upon their grown children.
- Elderly Ted Long is rushed to the hospital after suffering a mild heart attack. While his wife Emma and the rest of the family are relieved to learn that he will be all right, it is obvious that the elderly couple can no longer manage on their own. Their adult children, Mike and Wendy, try to decide what to do. Since Ted can no longer climb stairs, Mike suggests that they have a lift installed. Wendy's husband impulsively offer to pay half the cost, but later Wendy tells Mike they can't afford it. She can contribute a small sum, but that's all. As it turns out, Ted refuses to use the lift and insists on climbing the stairs himself. Emma is very upset because he won't follow medical advice. Ted resents being treated like an invalid. When he offers to take Emma for a drive before their car is sold, she refuses to ride with him.
Mike decides that the only solution is for his parents to live with either him or Wendy. His sister flatly refuses and states that she is trying very hard to make her marriage work. She won't even consider the idea of having her parents move in. Mike and his wife Carol don't really have the space, unless their teenage son Scott gives up his bedroom. He will have to sleep in the dining room, which Carol curtains off to give him more privacy.
Having two families under one roof is very stressful for the entire family. Emma complains about Scott's loud music and becomes ill from the smell of his darkroom chemicals. Both of them constantly interrupt Carol when she is trying to complete work assignments. Ted suggests that he paint the hallway, pointing out that it is not taxing work and won't take long. But Carol suggests that she do it herself, under his supervision. Ted buys the paint and tries to get Scott to help him after school, becoming angry when Scott complaints of being tired. He has another heart attack, this one far more serious. To Emma's dismay, he is sent to a nursing home for some rehab and therapy. She wants to live there with him, but Mike can't afford it.
Emma must now depend on Carol to take her to the nursing home to visit Ted. All the time Carol can give her is twice a week, and Emma doesn't think that's enough. She prevails on Wendy for help, asking if she can come and live with them while Ted is in the home, expecting that Wendy can drive her to the nursing home every day after work. But Wendy refuses, pointing out that when she and her husband get home from work they are tired. She accuses her mother of being selfish, after Mike and Carol have done everything possible to accommodate them. No one in the family knew that Wendy and her husband had briefly separated earlier that year. They are now back together and Wendy is trying desperately to make it work.
Meanwhile, Ted befriends his roommate, Mr. Case, and reprimands the nurse for trying to get him back in the present. Mr Case thinks he is a child again, living in Iowa. Ted points out that Mr. Case is happy but the nurse says that he will give up and die if he dwells on the past too much. Due to a cold that comes and goes, Ted cannot do the physical therapy. Two months pass and Mike could only afford to pay for five months. The nursing home administrator reminds him that Ted can apply for financial aid. But the main problem is that he is losing his will to live. Emma realizes this but no one else does.
The family arranges to take Ted on a picnic. He tries to give his beloved coin collection to Scott, who won't take it because he thinks his grandfather is preparing to die. Mike has a talk with his father, asking why they never took Wendy on any of their father/son activities during his childhood, like hiking and fishing. Ted wasn't aware that she wanted to go. He asks her to take a short walk with him before the food is ready, and she happily agrees.
Emma decides to take matters into her own hands, realizing that what Wendy said her being selfish was true. She figures out a way to visit Ted each day without bothering Carol. She can take a taxi to the bus stop and use public transportation the rest of the way. Mike tells her he can't afford it but Emma has decided to get a part-time job. She finds employment in a plant shop, where the owner is amazed at her knowledge.
Hearing that friends of theirs have a ground floor apartment available, Ted sells his coin collection to get the money for the deposit and first month's rent. His doctor warns him that he could have as little as a year left if he leaves the home. But what Ted want is not quantity of life but quality. During his daily walk away from the home, he asks his caregiver to stop at a nearby pant store so he can buy a gift for Emma. To his surprise she is working there. They embrace and their new life begins.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content