Caring for our elderly parents is much like a long novel that weaves many life stories together under one theme. The theme of this real-life novel has been the care for a loved one. That care which has demanded great thought, action, and decision-making has impacted our family in many, many ways. Clearly our life stories, experiences, and philosophies have impacted our decisions, emotions, actions, and connections in this regard.
Positively, this is a story of many people wanting to love and care for a family member as well as they can. No other motive has trumped this focus, and for that I'm thankful. Clearly the many varying paths our lives have taken have impacted our efforts in this regard. This coming together and moving apart of philosophies and actions has created some positive camaraderie and some troubling challenges. Few stories similar in nature are any different. In many ways elder care today doesn't have a model to follow since many people are living longer and the world has changed a lot thus making the elder care landscape new and untraveled in many, many ways.
In the end, I think it's good to be grateful of the good that exists and accept the challenges that occur. It's also important to acknowledge the novelty of this situation in modern times and think about the your own future life and the kind of care you desire and need to prepare for. I don't want to leave my children with the strife that elder care can cause, but I also know that the world is continually changing and one can never predict the path their life will take. Onward.
