“Just because I’m not able to drive anymore, doesn’t mean I should go to a nursing home,” said Rose. This was on the first visit with Rose, her son, and her daughter by an Aging Life Care Consultants professional care manager. It was scheduled after a disagreement with her family led them to research help for aging care options. “My son and daughter are ready to ship me off because they’re getting tired of helping me, but I don’t want to leave my house!”
Rose was 84 years old and could no longer drive because of macular degeneration. She’d been relying on her adult children for months to do her grocery shopping and bring her to her medical appointments. The problem was, her son and daughter both had full-time, demanding jobs and young children of their own, and taking care of Rose was getting to be too much for them.
“There are other options besides you going to a nursing home that will also help alleviate family disagreements,” we told Rose.
As a care management agency, we have a lot of experience working with families to find solutions for their loved ones’ care. In this case, we started out with an assessment of Rose’s needs and preferences, and areas in which she needed assistance. We determined that she could benefit from home care services each week that included light housekeeping and transportation to her medical visits, and we also arranged for Meals on Wheels. We would also monitor how things were going and step in to make changes when necessary to the care plan.
We met with Rose and her adult children to discuss our recommendations, so everyone was on the same page. Her children were so happy to hear that there were options available that maintained her independence and they were relieved their mother was willing to accept outside help. There had been misunderstandings and hurt feelings all around and having the outside input took the burden off of the relationships.
“I’m glad you’re looking out for me, and we have a plan so I can stay at home,” Rose said. “At least for now. I’m not ready to give up my independence anytime soon!”
Many times, families are unaware of the services available to their aging loved ones, or are too stressed or lack the time and energy to investigate the options. We help seniors get the care they need and deserve to stay safe and healthy, whether at home or in a facility.
If you or someone in your family are facing aging challenges, please give us a call at 765-341-9295 or email us at Shannon@AgingLifeCareConsultants.com. We’ll be happy to assist!
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