Lifestyle |

10 Challenges of Being a Caregiver

Primary Caregiver for my Mom

It’s a challenge caring for the elderly, and when it’s your parent, it’s even harder. Everyone gets older(God willing) and many of us are faced with elderly parents who are no longer self-sufficient. We moved my Mom into our home about 9 months ago. I became her primary caregiver. My husband also helps when he can. The decision to move her into our home was not an easy one. We had to weigh the pros and cons for everyone involved.

Options to remain independent

Finding a Caregiver to visit Mom several times a week or daily
Finding a Caregiver to live with Mom in her apartment
Providing for her needs so she can stay in her apartment
Meals on Wheels, Visiting nurses, Medical Alert button
Senior Living Facility(independent living/no assistance)
Assisted Living(some living assistance)
Nursing Home(full living assistance)

We did try a few of these options before moving Mom out of her home. I found someone to grocery shop for her, I had Meals on Wheels deliver her lunches, and we found transportation for her to doctor appointments. I provide more specific information in my post on Making the Decision to become a Primary Caregiver

*This post may contain affiliate links to products/services that I use or trust, if you click a link and purchase a product/service, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you, the opinions in this post are my own*

…

10 Challenges of Being a CaregiverRead More »

10 Challenges of Being a Caregiver Read More »

10 Positive Outcomes from Sheltering at Home

86 Comments / Lifestyle / Cathy

It has been a weird and interesting 7 weeks of “sheltering at home”. Several states have entered Phase 1 of the “Reopening America” plan. Our time at home may soon be coming to an end. As I reflect on the past 7 weeks, I have come up with some positive things that have happened from being stuck at home. I don’t know if you are having a hard time in isolation(I’m sure many are) or if you have been able to stay positive. The opinions in this post are my own and not intended to make light of the current situation.

List of 10 Positive Things

More time with your significant other/spouse
More time with your kids
A renewed appreciation for nature
Plenty of take-out containers
Learning to cook or improving your cooking skills
Taking an online class
Learning a new skill
Time for current hobbies; reading, writing, photography, etc..
Learning a new hobby
Working from home

More time with Loved Ones

How has it been to spend more time with the important people in your life? I have really enjoyed having my husband home, and working from home. It’s kind of a” trial run” to see how it will be when he retires. I really enjoyed it! He has been helping with housework and helping me care for my Mom, and we have spent more time talking. We don’t have children at home but we do have a dog and, WOW, does he love Dad being home! Are you enjoying spending more time with your family?

…

10 Positive Outcomes from Sheltering at HomeRead More »

10 Positive Outcomes from Sheltering at Home Read More »

What I’ve learned as a Primary Caregiver

4 Comments / Lifestyle / Cathy

First 2 months as Mom’s caregiver

My Mom has been living with us for 2 months now and, WOW, have I learned a lot! It’s been an adjustment for ALL of us.

To back up a little, we moved my Mom from Wisconsin, where she lived alone in an apartment, to North Carolina to live in our house. You can read about how we reached this decision on my other post, Making the decis ion to become a caregiver

Getting Mom ready for the move

The first thing we needed to do is get her ready for the move, she had about 6 weeks. Terry and I would be driving to Wisconsin to pick her up with a U-haul in tow. My brother lives in Wisconsin near her so he helped to get her packed up. He bought her Rubbermaid containers, which worked great for stacking in the U-Haul. Mom needed to go through all her things and decide what to do with them. There were 4 choices;

Put the item in her lobby on the “free table”
Trash it
Pack it up to take to North Carolina
Leave behind for the “Charity” that will be picking up what remains

When anyone moves, there are several things we all need to do. For my Mom, she had a few more things to get done.

Give notice to Apartment Manager
Get prescriptions filled
Cancel the utilities
Return the cable box
Tell her doctors about her move
Close bank account
Cancel Medicare supplemental insurance policy
Cancel Medicare drug coverage
Give a change of address to Post Office
Pack her overnight case
Call the local charity to pick up what’s left(my brother took care of this)
Clean the apartment to make sure she gets the security deposit back(my brother did this after we left)

Since three of my siblings were in the state of Wisconsin at the time, we decided to meet at Moms on moving day. That way, they could see her before she left, and we could also visit with each other. Remember, we were taking her about 1200 miles from her home, it wouldn’t be easy for any of them to visit her in North Carolina. We said our goodbyes, loaded up the U-Haul, and Mom, and headed down the road.

…

What I’ve learned as a Primary CaregiverRead More »

What I’ve learned as a Primary Caregiver Read More »

Making the Decision to become a Primary Caregiver

9 Comments / Lifestyle / Cathy

Deciding to have a parent move in with you is a very difficult decision. There are many things to consider. The thought of becoming someone’s primary caregiver is very scary. It’s a great honor and also a hard thing to do.

Making the decision

Here are some things to consider before making your decision:

Do you have the time required to care for another person?
Do you have the extra space available in your home?
Are there any stairs in your home?
Is there room for a walker or wheelchair?
Do you have a walk-in shower?
Can you raise the toilet seat to meet their needs?
Will you be able to find help when you need a break?
Do you have a support system for them and yourself?
Is your spouse/partner on board with this decision?
Which family member is best equipped to be a caregiver?

I did have the time since I have “retired” from the insurance industry and now work from home. We have an extra bedroom and bathroom, no stairs, a walk-in shower, and my husband was more on board than I was. My siblings felt like I was the right one for the job.

Terry and I have been visiting Senior Centers and Nursing Homes for several years now through his ministry, Christian Adventurers. We have seen some places that are very nice and some that are not so nice. I don’t think that many people prepare for the day that they may need assisted living. We all want to stay in our own homes as long as possible. To be frank, these places are expensive! If you don’t have the money, you may end up in a “not so nice” place sharing a room, TV, and bathroom with someone you don’t know. No one lives their life saying, “I hope I end up in a nursing home one day”.

…

Making the Decision to become a Primary CaregiverRead More »

Making the Decision to become a Primary Caregiver Read More »