Aging In Place

2/16/2015 | By Seniors Guide Staff

How do you take care of your parents AND your own family?  This can be a fairly common occurrence, and Seniors Guide writer Janet Faraone has experience helping families find solutions.  As the former owner of a Richmond, VA Home Care Agency, she has seen how Home Care and Companion Care can often help solve time constraints for family caregivers.

This story comes from her days helping caregivers find that balance.  If you can see yourself or find familiarity, you may want to look into flexible home care services.

Click here to find Home Care and Companion Care Services

Home Care Allows for Quality Time with your Loved One

Bob was running ragged. He had five wonderful and extremely busy children of middle and high school ages. He was married but his sweet wife was ill and often too weak to help. He had a successful career. Bob was also the only support for his elderly father James.

James lived alone in the large house in which he raised his family. It was a lovely country property but somewhat out of the way for Bob. James’ memory was failing and he was told he could no longer drive. He had recently been found by police more than an hour away from home and unsure how to drive back home. Bob was very much a family man and a dutiful son. His visits to his father’s were often harried, trying to get as much accomplished as possible, and allowing no time for a nice visit. Bob was frustrated feeling that he couldn’t meet everyone’s needs so he thought home care would help. James was not so sure about it. When I initially visited with them he quipped to Bob “all you did for my dinner yesterday was to quickly drop off Burger King!” James explained he was running between dropping off and picking up his children at various commitments such as sports, tutoring and music lessons. He reminded his father that his wife was not well and could not help. He explained he wanted to bring in home care so that his father’s needs would be met. Bob said a caregiver would help with the household chores, make the meals of his father’s choosing and provide transportation. James missed just going for a drive. A caregiver could take him for a ride.

It took James a little while longer than most clients to get accustom to having a caregiver. Bob was good at providing the caregiver with suggestions of things to do with James and even provided some of his mother’s recipes. Food was definitely the way to James’ heart. He also enjoyed that when his son stopped by now he that they were able to have some quality time together.

Seniors Guide Staff

Seniors Guide has been addressing traditional topics and upcoming trends in the senior living industry since 1999. We strive to educate seniors and their loved ones in an approachable manner, and aim to provide them with the right information to make the best decisions possible.

Seniors Guide Staff