When We Get Old by Deborah Jordaan

Good day to our loyal readers. Today I would like to write about what happens to us when we age and get put in an old age home.

I’m a carer at an old age home and the stories I hear and the things I see makes me wonder why we as parents do so much for our children just to have them put us in a home when they can’t cope with us anymore. As always it’s a generalised opinion as not all families put their parents there to get them out of the way.

Some elderly people are better off in a home as they can receive the care they need in regards to their health and grooming as things get difficult to the point where the elderly person can no longer do things for themselves. Being a carer is satisfying to me as I can be to the elderly person what they need me to be and I do it lovingly.

My dear mother passed on a few years ago at our home and I decided I wanted to be there for similar situations where if a child or partner were not present and a person was ill and was going to pass on that I could be there in their stead to reassure the person that everything is alright and they are not alone. Every person I take care of I feel I can save them or at least make their journey less stressful.

We take for granted that we can groom ourselves. To the ill or elderly person even those daily tasks become too much. They also like to be clean and pampered and they need to be reassured they are in safe hands when tended to. Make them feel they matter and they are not useless that they can’t tend to themselves.

This is where I hear the sad tales. Some are put in a home because their children have taken over their finances and their home and they don’t want them around. Other children are wonderful, they see to the needs of the parent or relative. They visit regularly where the other children just leave them there and always have a story as to why they can’t come visit.

I see their pain and joy and it warms my heart that I can be there for them in some small way. I see my parents in every one of them. So I care for them as I would my own parents. I love and respect them and don’t treat them like a child. They might be old and maybe become forgetful but they are an adult and command respect.

So my wish is that someone that is being neglectful reads this and realises how lucky they are to still have a parent. Take time and spend time with your loved one. No money or worldly goods can replace a parent.

Be Blessed