tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535660355757508633.post5929277227738676977..comments2023-04-03T00:48:01.893-07:00Comments on mv.VikingStar: Writer's BlockViking Starhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269939254829503157noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535660355757508633.post-60497030139677430952013-11-17T05:26:56.455-08:002013-11-17T05:26:56.455-08:00Its very hard watching your parents decline Christ...Its very hard watching your parents decline Christi. I feel for what you are going through. While you feel responsibility for them you also have a duty to yourself and to Al. Your parents understand that responsibility even if they can't or don't articulate it. <br /><br />Something we found very helpful early on in my parents' decline was to engage a non-medical caregiver. There are franchises that provide this service but we were able to find a private business. Initially mother resisted the idea of having a stranger come into her house but she gradually became accustomed to calling on Diane to take father on a doctor visit or maybe do a little grocery shopping for her. After mother died father descended into dementia and at that point Diane's visit became a valuable contact for me and my sister. She lives in Toronto and, as you know, we spend a lot of time on the left coast but Diane's daily emails gave us a regular update on father's condition. More importantly because she was visiting him every other day his paid caregivers gave him better attention. Its a sad fact that a lot of elderly people get severely neglected by care homes simply because they can get away with it. In our case we had some exceptionally good and some incredibly bad caregivers but all of them knew that they were being watched so I'm confident we got as good as they were capable of giving. Good luck with the tough journey you are embarking on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535660355757508633.post-79599381198864487542013-11-15T21:13:44.090-08:002013-11-15T21:13:44.090-08:00How great for them that you were able to be there ...How great for them that you were able to be there for them and help get them settled where they will be well cared for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535660355757508633.post-43611717868903439182013-11-15T12:44:31.590-08:002013-11-15T12:44:31.590-08:00That certainly is tough. Be thankful for the time ...That certainly is tough. Be thankful for the time you got to spend with them when you went home to care for them. My Grandmother (who was 85) passed very suddenly and a lot of the family didn't get that chance to spend some quality time with her in the end. I hope they both do well!Tatehttp://sundownersailsagain.comnoreply@blogger.com