This post is sponsored by Philips.
Caregiving is a big topic these days all across the country. I’ve had my share of conversations with my friends about their caregiving experiences with parents and loved ones. Some of my friends have had parents pass away after brief but terminal diagnoses. Others I know have gone into assisted living facilities after not being safe at home. Dementia and Alzheimer’s can play a big part in the care needed for seniors as they continue aging.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to taking care of our loved ones. It’s something that affects every single family out there. We all have or will have aging family members to take care of until they are no longer with us. We certainly want to take care of them the best way possible given that we all have responsibilities and our own lives going on.
{These are recent pictures when Lauren was home with the girls.}
We’ve been so fortunate that our parents have been in such good health for so many years. Dad is 92, mom is 91. Overall, they get along really well. They have periodic doctors’ appointments, but for the most part it’s routine check-ups with their ongoing medications and doctors’ care. They still go to their appointments by themselves unless there is something special going on and we need to be there for them. They are still driving themselves as well.
But I know that things could change any day or month or year. We have no way to predict the future and what will happen with our parents next year or the year after that. Every year is a gift and we are grateful for each and every one of them. We want to take care of them the best way we possibly can, to treat them well and make sure they are taken care of at every stage of aging that they face.
One thing that gives me peace of mind is knowing that there is help out there for mom and dad and your loved ones too that will bring the care circle of family and friends together, even when we can’t be there physically for them. We can do this using the tools that Philips offers.
That’s very reassuring to hear. We all need help with aging parents and we can’t always be there with them 24/7.
When dad was sick 2 years ago, we all pulled together. It affected my mom the most, but my sister and I stepped in to help take care of dad for about 3 months as he went through his C-Diff journey, from the hospital, to rehab, to home where he finally started getting better after a 3 month ordeal. It wasn’t easy for any of us, but we pulled together as a family and did it.
We took turns being there with him every day at the hospital or rehab. My sister and I have jobs and businesses to take care of as well as other family obligations. It rocks your world when a family member is sick and can’t take care of themselves. That was truly an eye opener for us on what the future might hold for our family if something like that happens again. It’s a hard road, but it’s great to know that there are people who can help.
The Philips Cares digital solution can be a big help in taking care of family members who need care. The new Philips Cares digital experience paired with the Philips Lifeline service makes it easy for family and friend caregivers to communicate and manage the health needs of their loved one.
Philips Lifeline is a personal alert system that allows users to press a button to communicate with a trained care specialist who is available 24/7. That specialist can dispatch the help a senior may need.
More than 40 million Americans provide care to their beloved seniors each year and they spend an average of 24.4 hours a week doing so. Caregiving can be an exhausting, heart-wrenching and overwhelming responsibility. Can you imagine the stress that caregiving can cause on all of us who are in the trenches with our loved ones? Half of those folks report that they experience high levels of stress, which impacts their relationships across the board.
The new Philips Cares app lets caregivers stay connected to their aging loved ones and gives them access to important insights on their well-being with reports and alerts about their care. The ability to set up a personalized response plan, with details on who to contact when an incident occurs and the ability to manage Philips Lifeline services, all happens through a web or mobile application.
Doesn’t that sound doable and helpful to families in need of assistance?
I love knowing that even today, mom and dad could get access to help if they have a fall, or just don’t feel well and need further care through the Philips Lifeline personal alert service. Plus we can all connect through Philips Cares which will be there for us so we can be there for each other. That gives me peace of mind that we can navigate this journey of caring for our parents today and in the future as their care needs change. We don’t know what the future holds, but we can rest assured that help is available. I hope you will check out Philips Cares for yourself.
A good post Rhoda. My mom is 89. She lives at home with the assistance of my two sisters who live nearby. You are right, we are blessed that they can be at home but we should have some options in mind if that situation changes. Love seeing pictures of your sweet mama and daddy. I think all your readers feel as if we know Iris and Al.
Rhoda, your parents are amazing! And the pictures are so sweet, especially with the girls. I’m starting to think a lot about my own aging and my husband’s. We built our home almost 30 years ago to be handicap accessible, so my prayer is we can live out our days here. It’s not fun to think about, but this is something we all will go through. Thanks for showing us all these latest options.
As always Rhoda a great post. Your parents are amazing and from what I have seen your parents have pretty amazing kids as well. Thanksgiving blessings to all of you.
Hi Rhoda,
I found your blog and subscribed to it because I realized I know your family.
I was the Postmaster at Durant for over 20 years and I live in Durant.
I used to sent mail to your parents.
I enjoyed reading your blogs.
Barbara Hughes
HI, Barbara, that is so crazy! I’m glad you found me and yes, that’s my family in Durant. My mom grew up there and we’ve been in Ga since the 60’s. Small world, thank you for following along!
Having just celebrated my 65th – thinking about the future gets too real some days. Not sure how my husband and I would manage if we have a life altering health crisis – except for organizations like these. There will be no family to assist, so making logical, workable decisions should be done now. Thanks for the heads up (and good to see the pics of your parents and your great-nieces).
HI, Becky, I know it’s really starting to hit me too that we are aging as well as my parents. It’s very sobering to see where we will be in 20 to 25 years. Time really does fly.
We have friends in Madison Ga.
And we have a cabin in Suches Ga.
Andrea Blount is one of my best friends.
Oh how nice! Andrea and I have talked about the possibility of being related on the Blount side, but I don’t think we had any relatives in common. Maybe way back in the geneology!
Rhoda, this is great information for anyone with aging parents. My mom is 97, and she moved to a very nice assisted living facility when she was 95. Prior to moving, she lived alone, and she used the Phillips Life
for several years. We were very happy with the service, and we had better peace of mind about her living alone in her 90’s. I was impressed with the advances in their service…linking you all through an app is a great idea! I’m sure this information in your post will be so helpful to many just beginning to navigate this new chapter!
Thank you, Susan, it’s so nice to hear that you have experience with Philips Lifeline. We haven’t had to use any of this yet, but it sure it nice to know it’s available.
having experienced this situation with my Dad, I know you always look back and wish you could have done more to make your parents feel safe and secure. This Phillips system is another piece of the puzzle that makes everyone feel better, and isn’t that what they did for us when we were little kids?
Hi Leslie Anne, you are so right. They took care of us and now it’s our turn to take care of them. It’s nice to know that there is help available, it sure makes me feel more secure.
Great post! Our parents are gone now, but we are in our 70’s and with no children, we are thinking about what might happen to us. It is very scary!! Articles like this help a lot! Your parents are just the sweetest looking couple and your family is blessed to still have them!
Thank you, Janice, it really is a lot to think about as we get older. And it does sound scary. We are blessed to still have them.
Hi Rhoda!!
My hubby is 16yrs older than I am and so that makes me 57 and he’s 73yrs old. My two sons and I have noticed some changes that’s going on with my hubby and it’s like ok let’s see what’s going on and whatever it is that comes up we’ll work at giving him support and giving each other support. Sometimes we need a break from everything, like going out and looking at our favourite shops for a couple of hours. He’s doing well and healed beautifully after his hip replacement surgery in March.
If and when it gets more serious we know that we have the support from out healthcare providers here in Canada. We’ve learned a lot from our experience when dealing with my parents. It’s so important that society takes care of their elderly and to search for the best care that’s available for them.
Enjoy your week Rhoda!!
Pam S.
xox
Thank you, Pam, you’re so right. It takes all of us to help out with the seniors in our lives. I wish you and your hubby the best.
As an injury prevention trauma RN, I see falls as the biggest threat to senior independent lifestyle. Falls rate high (1 or 2)on trauma registries and the CDC website has a great amount of information on the STEADI program aimed at keeping seniors upright and able to function independently. The leading cause of unanticipated death of 65+ seniors is fall injury. I have seen several patients who have used the Phillips devices and I am a supporter of using tech to keep our seniors aging in place. Check out STEADI for up to date information about falls and the printables are in English and Spanish. I am rooting for your parents to keep going and look forward to reading about what they are up to next!!!
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing. It’s tough seeing our parents age, becoming more dependent. I,too, cared for my dad through c-diff several years ago. It was a relatively unheard of condition and even the healthcare professionals seemingly were not too well-versed on it. I found a Facebook support group that helped us tremendously with ideas that worked (and some they found that did not). Dad pulled through it,but only after we took him from the rehab center and worked with him at home (and a great doctor who had more experience with cdiff). We will always be mindful of antibiotics, gut health and health facilities thanks to our experience.
God bless your sweet family. Thank you for letting us be a part.
Hi, Patty, that c-diff is so hard to deal with so I feel for you too. We finally got dad stabilized thank goodness!
Good information – as usual. Mom and Dad are looking good! Blessings and hugs to the whole family.
At age 74, I am concerned about what lies ahead for me and my husband. Luckily, our son is the director of a great senior living facility in Statesboro, Ga. called Willow Pond. I feel that we would be very happy there. However, if we needed skilled nursing care then that might be another story. We both do have long term care insurance which I advise young adults to take out early on. One can never start to early preparing for their senior years.
My mom. She inhabits home with the help of my two sisters who live close by. You are correct, we are honored that they can be at home yet we ought to have a few choices at the top of the priority list if that circumstance changes. I love seeing photos of your sweet mom and daddy. I think every one of your perusers feels as though we know Iris and Al.