Instead of the usual juicy gossip, foreign travel dreams and love affairs, the yearly reunion of university chums was interrupted by a contemplative dialogue about the Fair Deal nursing home program. Suddenly, we found ourselves submerged in the practicalities of elderly care and the intricacies of the power of attorney.
Hoping to stave off the rapidly advancing old age, it may be wise to consider the unconventional life of Elizabeth Carson, born Elizabeth Newell in Belfast. Challenging the norms, she opted for a life far removed from elderly care homes and decided her address would be somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
This new chapter unfolded in 1864, after the death of her husband, Samuel. Subsequently, she embarked on her maiden sea journey across the Atlantic with her daughter to meet her prosperous brother, William B Newell, in Tennessee. Elizabeth took her brother’s suggestion to live in the US. After his death, she inherited his fortune of $500,000 – a value equivalent to nearly $12 million in today’s terms.
Shortly after, Elizabeth ventured alone back to Belfast while she left her daughter with friends. This marked the start of her relentless sea travels, amounting to around 250 voyages across the ocean.
In 1883, when her daughter wed Julius Rohrbach from Chicago, Elizabeth accelerated her travels, spending almost all her time at sea. Her go-to mode of transport became the Lucania cruise ship run by Cunard, where she became a familiar face among the crew and repeat passengers. As part of the elite crowd, she dined with the likes of the Vanderbilts and Astors and created a mutual bond with the famous soprano Adelina Patti, who gifted her home-grown roses.
Elizabeth Carson’s son-in-law and daughter grew concerned about how she was rapidly depleting the inheritance they were waiting to receive. While visiting them in Chicago in the early part of the 1890s, their attempt to limit her spending by having a guardian instated via a court order was met with resistance. Julius Rohrbach informed the court that Elizabeth had already squandered $250,000 of her wealth. However, the stern Mrs Carson wasn’t persuaded by their argument and threatened to disinherit Julius if he persisted.
Returning to her seafaring life, she contracted pneumonia on one of her ocean voyages in December 1896 and succumbed to the illness five weeks later in Anamosa, Iowa at the age of 74. Information acquired from the Chicago Tribune, compliments of Cunard historians, reveals that her death was headline news in January 1897 with her being described as an “extraordinary woman”. In her honour, the Lucania decided to hoist its flag at half-mast during its subsequent expedition.
In reflecting the theatrical sentiment of the time, the newspaper detailed her last breaths, with her softly speaking about the merging of red lights with the deep-sea greens. She was reported to have spoken her last words, ‘The sea!’ with a jubilant smile, before retreating onto her pillow and passing away.
The story doesn’t end with her death. What followed was anticipation over the contents of her will. It turned out that not long after her son-in-law’s unsuccessful court case, she travelled to Belfast, wrote her will, and left behind a mere $1,000 for her daughter. An unexpected surprise was her gift of $200,000 to the crew of the Lucania, including a specifically designated $50,000 for the ship’s captain.
One must concede that the lady from Belfast was indeed a visionary. Where else could you ideally spend your twilight years, if not on a cruiser? It’s equipped with a variety of medical amenities. You’re free to adhere to a scrumptiously healthy or indulgent dietary pattern. You can take a swim each day and participate in dance events every evening. And should you find yourself disliking your neighbouring passenger – no worries. They would be replaced in seven days.
With the overwhelming pressure our aged-care facilities are under, I’d like to offer a humble suggestion to the financial department’s calculating officials pondering the budget: consider expanding the Fair Deal initiative to incorporate cruise ships.
Which appeals to you more? Utilising the equity of your home to afford a stay in an old people’s home, where the highlight is often as mundane as someone nodding off and a knitting needle tumbling to the ground? Or savouring Mimosas over breakfast, basking in the warm glow of the morning sun!
I believe my point has been made.