EILEEN ADLER

A new journey, a new path to follow, but with planning, you won’t lose your way, you will survive and thrive. To thrive may mean hiring a home health aide so that you can enjoy personal respite care, but oh, the resistance to this idea can be monumental. First and foremost, having someone in the home may imply the loss of independence, losing control, and may be perceived as becoming a burden, which is #2 on the list of concerns - #1 is the need to enter a nursing home. My goal in hiring an “activity partner” (notice that I am not using home health care aide), was to lessen my stress when leaving my care receiver alone at home for a few hours. The need for care is relative; as we age, we are going to increase our needs for care. If we secure strategies for help at home before it becomes a crisis, we will be able to keep our care receiver at home for longer and dreaded #1 on the list may never be realized. Asking for help could be construed with losing independence but it really means staying independent for a much longer time. Check out https://www.planyourlifespan.org/ for more support. 

 

Self-care Ritual: As the holidays approach, gift-giving can become another chore rather than a joy. I may speak for many of us: I do not need another thing or trinket to dust, look at, or store! Here are some great gift ideas to give, to receive, or to suggest. 

• Restaurant gift cards
• Gift cards to local grocery stores or your favorite gas station.
• A “fruit basket of the month” is a wonderful year-long celebration, and so delicious.
• Subscription to movies to watch at home, for example, Netflix, is a wonderful gift.
• If this is your day for P&P, Pleasure and Pampering, maybe a gift to a day spa is just the thing.
• Manicures and pedicures provide an emotional boost too.
• I love reading books but listening to books on tape are great too. Subscriptions are available and public libraries offer a host of audible books as well. There is an app for this.
• My favorite: “Respite-care Coupons.”