She doesn't understand why people today don't want to take care of old folks. She, like many others, need some help but not constant care. Age has slowed her down, and she spends more time at home. She gets lonely and likes company.
"Nobody understands old people," she says. "Lots of people don't bother you when you get old."
It's hard for her to understand because she cared for her parents when they got older because her sister and brother lived out of town. During that time, she was a piano teacher working at home.
She has had offers from relatives to move in with her, but she's not interested in rearranging her furniture to accommodate them. She likes her house as it is.
"I know times have changed, but I don't want to be forced to leave my home. I think older people should be taken care of by their families. I did."
Her family and financial advisers want her to sell her house and go into assisted living, but she's balked at the suggestion and maintains she is the one to make that decision. She thinks people should stay at home at long as they can.
She recalls a time when she and her husband lived in the house with her parents, her brother and his wife, and grandparents. She understands some families have to work and can't help with care.
During her husband's 10-year illness, they never discussed rest homes. She took care of him with some extra help and has no regrets about the care she gave him.
"If you do everything for someone, it's all you can do. I took care of him."
Alcock knows she'll never get that kind of treatment. She's too stubborn and wants to be in charge.
"I told my sister I wanted someone to live with me and be in charge. ... She responded, 'You'd still be in charge.'"
Alcock decided she was not afraid of dying after she took a class about death at Centre College a few years ago. She would rather go from home straight to the cemetery. "I've already picked out my cemetery lot," she says.
After enjoying a long and healthy life, Alcock is ready to die, but no one agrees with her. She thinks people live too long.
Despite the stress of trying to decide what to do with her life and a lifetime of memories in the family dwelling, Alcock has not lost her sense of humor.
"It doesn't matter what age you get to be, if you have a sense of humor, you need to keep it. It's important. That's how I get through life."
Her biggest problem is being lonely. "Being lonesome is worse than having the measles or mumps."
She's given up on the notion of being independent at home but plans to live independently in a small apartment.
After standing her ground a couple of years and living at home, Alcock finally has come to a decision - her own decision. She's moving to an assisted living complex. Her house is for sale, and she will probably get rid of most of her furniture. "I decided last summer that I could leave this house by fall, and I'm leaving. I made up my mind myself. I didn't want to be told what to do," she says.
"I've decided all I want is a warm room and something to eat."
