Soon the trees will be ablaze in yellows, reds and gold. Leaves will bury once green grass and mums and pumpkins will adorn grocery store entrances. Summer is ending, school has started and cooler weather is a draw for the young and the not so young. Seniors and children sense the changing seasons more so than any other age group. Children of all ages are headed back to school and seniors are bombarded with outdoor activities. Fall festivals, apple picking, pumpkin patches, family gatherings, sporting events and long walks are just a few of the many activities seniors look forward too. They rise early eager to get out and enjoy the many offerings fall brings. Caring for loved ones in the home means finding resources, services and support organizations to fill in while everyone is away at work or school. It also means including them in evening and weekend activities.
The days of moving mom and dad or grandma and grandpa in, providing a bedroom and if possible a bathroom and a small sitting area with a television is gone. Today’s seniors want to live life to the fullest. Many are working well into their 70s, while others are retiring and starting work-from-home small businesses. Because they can no longer live on their own doesn’t mean they are retiring to a rocking chair or moving in to provide in-home childcare. Assisting with chores, meal preparation and childcare should, if health allows, be expected. However, expecting live-in maid service or a menial at your every beck-and-call is an out-of-date presumption.
Retiring due to illness or age is a dramatic life change. Giving up a loved home and treasured keepsakes even harder. Acknowledging they can no longer live alone can be devastating, losing the ability to drive themselves or take public transportation alone can be even more devastating. If health allows them out alone, drop them off at a local Senior Citizen Center or Senior Group Day Care.
If they have access to door-to-door transportation, schedule a pickup to a community center, shopping center or Fall Festival. Remember visits to doctors, dentists, eye doctors and specialist are not outings. Remember also, they are family and want to actively share in family events. Sure, it may take them longer to get ready and they may need extra time getting a walker or wheelchair into the trunk of the car, but they are family and it comes with your decision to take on in-home care.
Long walks in a park sharing stories handed down from generation to generation will be moments remembered. Watching a grandchild’s first football, soccer or basketball game and joining the family for pizza (whether they can eat it or not) will be a memorable moment for them and for the children. Socializing with others, sending emails, surfing the web, and playing computer games keeps their minds active while keeping them engaged. If they want to volunteer, schedule the time needed to drop them off on the way to work and plan “who” and “when” will pick them up.
Live-in seniors are adjusting just as you are adjusting. Many of them are live-in due to illnesses that affect the body but not the mind. Give them the full rich life they deserve. Go for a scenic drive, take a walk in a late summer rain, play in the leaves or people watch outside a coffee shop. Enrich your life and theirs as you make memories that will last a lifetime.
