Navigating Senior Care: When to Seek Help and How to Begin
After my grandfather passed away, it was almost jarring to see my grandmother by herself. They had always been together. Two peas in a pod, in all the good ways. The only time I didn’t see them together was Vacation Bible School (VBS) Week each summer when we’d stay with them. My grandfather was a beloved Methodist minister and they had different helping roles during VBS. My brother and I would feel like mini celebrities when church families would realize who we were.
After Grandpa died, though, my grandmother lived alone in their home outside of Gonzales, TX. Taking care of a home, making nutritional meals for just one person, traveling into town for groceries, medical appointments, and church, began to be too much. My uncle lived about 20 minutes away and would check on her often, but the frequency of her needing help became too much to live alone. One summer afternoon she fell and wasn’t able to get up on her own. Fortunately, my uncle drove over to check on her after she didn’t answer her phone. Even more fortunately, she didn’t fall outside, alone, and in the hot, Texas heat. My dad and uncle moved her into an assisted living facility shortly afterwards and everyone in the family, most importantly, my Grandma, breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe and had a new community of friends.
When is the right time to start exploring help for your senior loved one? I’m not sure there’s a “right” time, but it’s better before an emergency precipitates the conversation. Change can be hard and acknowledging the need for an increased level of care can be especially difficult for everyone involved. Having to make rushed decisions when your loved one is in the hospital makes the situation even harder.
What if you could reach out to a neutral, trusted source who could help you navigate the options out there and listen to your hopes and worries, just by making one phone call? What if you didn’t have to do it alone? That’s where I come in. If you’re looking for help in three days, three weeks, or three months, one simple phone call to (512) 840-9822 can get you started on this journey and you won’t be doing it alone.
Shelley’s Family in Seguin, taking her grandmother out to lunch
shortly after she had moved into senior living.