Oct 23, 2015

Planning for the Future

The parent-child relationship is built on the premise that our parents take care of us, but that relationship can very quickly change, and a reversal of roles takes place, when an aging parent requires care.

For many cultures, it’s never a question of whether or not you will care for your parents. It’s not will you, but how will you?

Spouses sign up “for better or for worse” and age together. Parent care, on the other hand, often leaps into one’s busiest midlife years. Family caregivers often plunge into their parental-support role in a big “uh-oh” moment precipitated by a health crisis or an accidental injury.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among the nation’s 39.8 million unpaid caregivers of people over 65, more than 42 percent are looking after their parents. According to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving more than 1 in 4 caregivers looks after a mother, and 1 in 10 looks after a father.

We plan ahead for college, funerals and retirement, but in most cases ignore the realization that our parents may indeed age into their 80’s and 90’s and need assistance with the tasks of daily living. Even when the signs are clear, we tend to look the other way in hopes that help will not be needed.

Planning ahead, and knowing the resources that are available to assist you, will greatly reduce that sense of emergency when you are told that your loved one is in need of immediate care.

Let GLADDEN HOME CARE® help you plan ahead…