In 30 Days of Hope When Caring for Aging Parents, author and fellow caregiver Kathy Howard offers the encouragement needed as you strive to care for your parents in a way that pleases God and shows them honor and respect while maintaining their dignity. Through Scripture passages, prayer prompts, and Kathy’s personal stories, be strengthened in the knowledge that the giver of all wisdom will empower you in the daily moments when you are caught between being your parents’ child and their caregiver.
Just a few of the vitally important lessons in caring for your aging parent—and yourself—from Jane Gross in A Bittersweet Season As painful as the role reversal between parent and child may be for you, assume it is worse for your mother or father, so take care not to demean or humiliate them. Avoid hospitals and emergency rooms, as well as multiple relocations from home to assisted living facility to nursing home, since all can cause dramatic declines in physical and cognitive well-being among the aged. Do not accept the canard that no decent child sends a parent to a nursing home. Good nursing home care, which supports the entire family, can be vastly superior to the pretty trappings but thin staffing of assisted living or the solitude of being at home, even with round-the-clock help. Important Facts Every state has its own laws, eligibility standards, and licensing requirements for financial, legal, residential, and other matters that affect the elderly, including qualification for Medicare. Assume anything you understand in the state where your parents once lived no longer applies if they move. Many doctors will not accept new Medicare patients, nor are they legally required to do so, especially significant if a parent is moving a long distance to be near family in old age. An adult child with power of attorney can use a parent’s money for legitimate expenses and thus hasten the spend-down to Medicaid eligibility. In other words, you are doing your parent no favor—assuming he or she is likely to exhaust personal financial resources—by paying rent, stocking the refrigerator, buying clothes, or taking him or her to the hairdresser or barber.
A humorous guide to caring for aging parents sheds light on essential issues--including legal documents, Medicaid, end-of-life decisions, and more--and helps individuals prepare for the crises, confusion, and the unexpected joys of caregiving. Original.
In nearly a quarter of households in the US, someone is caring for an elderly parent. Authors Candy Arrington and Kim Atchley draw from their personal experiences to speak to and support those who face the challenges of caring for a parent. With compassion and guidance, Arrington and Atchley partner with readers to help a parent with limited mobility, memory, ability, and resources draw from the wisdom of Scripture for sustenance understand the elderly parent's perspective on giving up control, illness, and aging effectively organize forms, prescriptions, care, housing, and finances find personal balance by nurturing their own health, faith, and family What begins as a way to honor those they love becomes, for many, a confusing and stressful time. This resource of hope provides caregivers with the support and direction they need to be spiritually, physically, and emotionally prepared for what they face day by day.
What would happen if The Unthinkable blindsided you, requiring everything be put on hold to become a full time caregiver for a loved one? At the very least, it would reshape your life. Without a survival guide, it could even destroy it.Barb Owen delivers precisely that survival guide in NORMAL Doesn "t Live Here Anymore: An Inspiring Story of Hope for Caregivers. She weaves a story, through the first two parts of the book, based on her life-changing experience as primary caregiver for her elderly parents. Following each chapter a bit of wisdom gained from Barb "s experience is summarized as a Reflection. The third part of NORMAL Doesn "t Live Here Anymore addresses the critical need for self-care for the new and seasoned caregiver alike. Specific suggestions abound for Me Time ”how to find it ”what to do with it ”and how very important it is for sustaining oneself throughout the often arduous caregiving-marathon. This truly inspiring book is one part parable, one part autobiography and all survival guide, illuminating a path for the more than 65 million caregiving Americans. SEverything hinges on your ability to care for both yourself and your loved one, says Owen. SThis maxim is of great consequence ”heed it, and you will endure. Dismiss it, and you will have trouble surviving. Take care of yourself, your loved one and keep the faith, because you "re not alone. ----- EXCERPT FROM: NORMAL Doesn "t Live Here Anymore - Chapter 21; The morning after I brought my 90-year-old Dad home from the hospital, Mom called me to say that he was not feeling at all well. My nagging intuition insisted that I visit Dad and spend some private time with him. Finding Dad awake and resting in his bed, I struggled to find my voice. Sitting beside him, I asked, SHow are you feeling this morning? SOh, I "m so-so, he sighed, as a tear rolled from his eye on to the pillow that cradled his head. SReally tired of all of this and worried about your mother. She "s having a hard time with everything. We stayed there in silence ”just being together for a few moments.Holding his hand, the heavy words finally left my mouth. SYou know, Dad, you can trust me to be sure that Mom is okay. I will take care of her, no matter what. He responded quietly, SI know. Studying and caressing my dad "s hand, I knew there was one more important conversation that the voice in my heart insisted upon. SDad, I know that this is getting to be really tough for you. If staying here becomes too hard, it "s okay to let go... During the following few weeks I watched my 89 year old Mom experience a renewed sense of purpose and increased strength as she doted on my dad and met his needs, as best she could. Some days were better than others. Most nights were difficult when Dad "s heart pain was significantly worse and his level of anxiety escalated. Often my mom would pass the hours by reading to Dad. Although her eyesight was clouding, she still managed to read the newspaper, column by column, or inspirational short stories she found in the stack of magazines beside their bed. Amazingly, dawn nearly always brought ease and comfort for them both. And so the nights and days continued ----- REFLECTION; Difficult subjects sometimes need to be discussed. You might be asked by others to deliver bad news ”news of someone "s death, a life-altering diagnosis, or even the necessity for a change in residence. Each conversation carries the potential for unleashed emotions. My advice? No matter how difficult or emotional, don "t leave words left unsaid. People, if capable of understanding, deserve information. Often, they are much stronger than we realize.Words are powerful. They carry courage, condemnation, reassurance or permission. Choose them wisely as your words may be the ones that bring freedom from pain or suffering. It "s tough, but I know you can do it and if you listen to that voice inside, you will know exactly the right time and the right words.Be Strong!
Now in paperback, one of the first books to help navigate the profound emotional challenges of caring for elderly parents in a strained parent-child relationship.
Caring for elderly parents is challenging. It’s a season of life that requires grace and strength that can only come from God. In The Caregiving Season, Jane Daly shares personal caregiving stories, offering practical advice to help you honor your aging parents well and deepen your personal relationship with Christ along the journey.
Jesus called this ordinary man for an extraordinary purpose. Simon the fisherman would become Peter the Rock. This outspoken Galilean would lead Christ’s church, stand strong in the face of persecution, and even refuse to waver when faced with death. Unshakable Faith is an eight-session Bible study that explores the life and teachings of the Apostle Peter. Participants will be eye witnesses to Peter’s spiritual growth as God strengthens and matures his fragile faith. They will discover eight key "faith traits" God developed in Peter as he followed Christ and learned from Him. Participants will walk with Peter as he walked with Jesus. They will learn what Peter learned. Then they’ll be challenged to apply it to their own lives. Study participants will not only gain a solid knowledge of Peter’s life and teaching, they will also build a foundation on which God can grow an unshakable faith that will weather every storm they encounter.
"Elizabeth Hay, one of Canada's most beloved novelists has written a poignant, complex, and hugely resonant memoir about the shift she experienced between being her parents' daughter to their guardian and caregiver. As the daughter takes charge, and the writer takes notes, her mother and father are like two legendary icebergs floating south. They melt into the ocean of partial, painful, inconsistent, and funny stories that a family makes over time. Hay's eloquent memoir distills these stories into basic truths about parents and children and their efforts of understanding. With her uncommon sharpness and wit, Elizabeth Hay offers her insights into the peculiarities of her family's dynamics--her parents' marriage, sibling rivalries, miscommunications that spur decades of resentment all matched by true and genuine love and devotion. Her parents are each startling characters in their own right--her mother is a true skinflint who would rather serve up wormy soup (twice) than throw away an ancient packet of "perfectly good" mix; her father is a proud and well-mannered man with a temper that can be explosive. When All Thing's Consoled is a startlingly beautiful memoir that addresses the exquisite agony of family, the unstoppable force of dementia, and the inevitability of aging."--
