Comments on: Aging Parents

By: Ciceilia

Ciceilia — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:10:00 +0000

I too care for my aging father, so I know the stress everyone faces with this task. I have researched many articles to find a better solution and some of the things I have found have been very helpful. I wanted to share this information with all of you, because emergency personal alarms were thought to only be effective in nursing facilities, not many people realize how effective and available they are for home caregivers. I have researched Phillips and ResponseLINK and have found that they offer a 24 hour representative response system that provides not only emergency responses, but everyday wellness checks. I opted for ResponseLINK because they do not require a long term sign-up and have found this to be very useful in not just emergencies but also for simple everyday things like reminders for medication and meals.

By: jenclair

jenclair — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:08:00 +0000

Thanks for the links! A subject many of us are dealing with now. After dealing with my mother’s lung cancer and death, my father’s Alzheimer’s has continued to speed up. He goes downhill more rapidly each week.

By: Longevity Science

Longevity Science — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 02:29:00 +0000

Thank you for your interesting post!
I thought perhaps you may find this related post about new article by Atul Gawande interesting to you:
Longevity Science: The Way We Age
http://longevity-science.blogspot.com/2007/04/way-we-age.html

By: Kathy Wagner

Kathy Wagner — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:25:00 +0000

Thanks for these references.
I am in the same boat and it is not “easy” no matter who you are or what your training is.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:06:00 +0000

Yes, that was a very informative post and it is nice to remember that there are other people who have the same daily problems and trials. I’ll check out the books you recommended while I’m in the States this summer. It’s hard to think about but this is the age we are.

By: Belém

Belém — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:13:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is common to see posts about children caring but not about how to care our aging parents. My mother has Parkinson disease an she lives far away from me. It is my father who takes care of her but I want to bring them to my house as soon as my father agree with this decision.

By: Pat

Pat — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:57:00 +0000

Great post. For those who are interested in more about being a Gen Sandwicher, please visit my blog at http://www.generationsandwich.blogspot.com.

By: Betty J in OKC

Betty J in OKC — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:37:00 +0000

My Mom’s lived with me for the last 6 yrs. Currently, she’s got mod-severe Alz. She still knows me, but forgets where the bathroom is. LOL! The most important thing I’ve found, when being a caregiver, is to NEVER lose my sense of humor. Last night, Mom was sitting up asleep on the sofa. The new commercial for M&M’s Dark came on and she was bobbing her head to the music. I just cracked up laughing!!!

Quilting has also been a sanity saver, ever since Dad would go into the hospital 3-4 times/yr for his Congestive Heart Failure. I always made sure to have a baby quilt going, so I could easily “grab and go” with Mom and him to the ER anytime of night/day. Mom enjoys me creating quilt-tops and using the quilts when they’re finished. I am happy when I can create quilts!!!!

Betty J in OKC