Just like you, I know what it’s like to care for aging parents.
My mom and dad moved to Tallahassee in 1995 to be close to all of their adult children. When I was a little boy, my father told me, “When you were little, we changed your diapers. And when you grow up, YOU will change OUR diapers.” I had no idea he was serious. Unfortunately, my father passed away at eighty-one years old, long before he needed to wear an adult diaper. My mother, however, needed personal care as she lived 12 longer than my Dad. And we lost my Mom last March.
My siblings and I took care of our mother for the last year of her life. At first, it was ordinary care. As she declined, our agency took part in her care. Our caregivers spent time with her in her home. They helped her with her memory, including building puzzles, asking her about her life, and helping her go through her mail and bills. Eventually, the caregivers helped her prepare meals and took her on errands after she stopped driving. Mom loved having her caregivers spend time with her. She felt like her independence was prolonged by not having to ask her adult children to “use their time to do things she needed.” It was indeed an honor for us kids to be able to help her in any way she needed. And our caregivers felt the same way! They have the love and care needed to make anyone feel special. That was the case for my mom. Before the end, our caregivers were dressing, feeding, bathing, and changing my mom. And when she passed away, her caregivers, our caregivers, grieved with us.
We know what it’s like to have aging parents. Even with three of us kids helping with mom’s needs, we couldn’t have met all the demands of mom’s care. Weselves, have families to take care of and work to be done. Our caregivers were the answer to what we needed.
For the last thirty years, I’ve always referred to my Dad as “The Number One Patriot.” Growing up, my father shared that he always knew he wanted to be a soldier. He was born in 1930. He witnessed the soldiers parading through the small town where he grew up. He loved the uniforms and the precision of the soldiers marching. He enrolled in Valley Forge Military Academy, and from there, he attended Gettysburg College. He was commissioned and traveled the world. He served in the Korean War. And the Vietnam War. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1977 as a Lieutenant Colonel. We recently held a memorial service for him and my mom (his wife) at the National Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. His ashes were mixed with my mother’s ashes. As I mentioned, she passed away this March at 91. She would never let his ashes be taken from her, and they are now forever together. My father instilled in me deep gratitude for our servicemen and women. Our Veterans are truly a national treasure. And our elders are a national treasure; steeped with history, traditions, and values.
SYNERGY HomeCare can help meet your needs. Our caregivers are carefully selected to care for those in need. We do everything from companionship to personal care. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
