Over the next twenty years, people aged 65 and older would represent 20 percent of the United States’ population which will, no doubt, open up problems on how the government and family members will take care of the aging citizenry. Writer and blogger Arlene Nisson Lassin gives us a glimpse into the troubles and hardships many will soon face in her article for The Huffington Post:
When you live far away from your elderly parents, you are always walking on eggshells, dreading a phone call of illness or injury. I got that call this winter — having just turned 87 years old, my dad had taken a tumble down the stairs of his house. The strong ox that he used to be dissipated with this accident, and he felt frail, vulnerable, and shaky enough where he didn’t want to drive any more.
… In our middle age group, for those of us lucky enough to have parents who are still alive, it becomes obvious that we have to do the parenting and decision making for them at some point. Just when we finish caring for our now grown children, many of us must begin the caring for our geriatric parents. It’s the least we can do.
It is fortunate for senior citizen parents to have kids like Arlene who would take the necessary measures to care for them and show how thankful they are in any way possible. Some adult children would relocate their parents in their own homes or within their community just to keep a close watch on them. Doing this can be stressful as it can affect work performance negatively and even the quality of time they give to their own kids.
Partnering with a reliable Cook County elder care services provider to help senior citizens, such as Comfort Keepers of Chicagoland, Il, should give the adult children an effective option to show how much they care for and love their aging parents, and it’s a tremendous way to express thanks for all that was provided to them during their formative years.
Seeking help does not diminish the amount of respect one has for the elderly, but rather, it demonstrates how important aging parents are as figures of the family. Not only will elder care services give seniors genuine and professional care and support, it will also lessen the burden people might feel when they are tasked with caring for both their own children and their parents at the same time.
Some children even show their respect and support for their aging parents by letting them decide for themselves on how they want to continue living independently during old age. They would agree to the decisions of their parents to live an independent but assisted life, with the help of a trustworthy Cook County senior services caregiver. Starting the conversation to arrive at this end goal will be beneficial to all parties concerned.
(Source: Moving My Kicking-And-Screaming Elderly Parents 1,600 Miles To Be With Me, Arlene Nisson Lassin, March 21, 2014)
Comfort Keepers of Chicagoland Area, IL 