Caring for our loved ones
Hello beautiful WA people!
We just got back home from a long weekend caring for my mother-in-law. She is very vulnerable, fragile and her mobility is very restricted as she can barely get up from her chair and walk up some small stairs with 3 steps. She lives a few hours away from us and we take turns with the rest of the family to care for her.
She wasn't always like this. She was very independent and able to do things for herself until she had a fall and damaged her hip. Then few other things followed on from that as well and we are where we are. Her memory is not what it used to be anymore either and it pains us seeing her like this. All we can do is take care of her and give her our love and affection.
She likes being pampered, so I painted her nails with transparent nail polish; she loved it. She enjoys going through the magazines and looking at the pictures but most of all she enjoys company and talking about the old days, that's when I see her beautiful blue eyes shine.
It is not easy to care for loved ones, especially when they are vulnerable. We are exhausted by the time we get back home from such long weekend. However, I feel blessed that I am still healthy and able to take care of her and loved ones. I also feel blessed that I have my own business thanks to WA and able to work from anywhere with my laptop/tablet/phone. I pray that I may continue to do all of this for many years to come.
Do you care for loved ones too?
Have a superb rest of the week everyone!
Much love to you all,
Maria :)
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I went through that whole process until my Mom went home. I'm so glad I spent that time taking care of her, enjoying every moment while she was here with us. One of our favorite activities was bringing her favorite pizza and root beer to her room; she never ate as much of any other food as she did that pizza, and we loved it! The time came when she really couldn't carry on a conversation with us anymore, so instead we shared our days with her and did things like decorate her room for the holidays, perhaps watch TV together, or get family members on the phone for a quick (mostly one-sided) chat. Treasure your time together, even though it's exhausting, because you can rest later, but this time won't ever come again.
Thank you so much for sharing Jeannine. That's wonderful... I will certainly cherish and treasure these moments.
Take care,
Maria :)
Taking care of our elderly loved ones is a fantastic thing to do Maria, but it can be very challenging at times...
My father in law lived with us fulltime for nearly the last three years of his life as he suffered from multiple illnesses and health problems so couldn't look after himself...
Very challenging... but rewarding all the same my friend..
Thank you for sharing your life experience about caring for your father in law, Nick. Yes, it's certainly challenging yet rewarding, as you say.
Thanks again,
Maria :)
I spent April-July helping my parents. Dad is 90 and mom is 83. They both had hip replacement surgery 6 weeks apart.
My sister was there with me and thankfully so.
I, too am happy that I’m in a position where I can drop my own obligations for a span of time to be there for them. While it proved to be such a demanding endeavor, it was one of those labors of love.
Thank you for sharing, Tami. You are absolutely right, it is a demanding endeavor, though done from a loving point of view.
May you and your sister have a long healthy life.
Wishing you great success with WA to enable you to fulfil your dreams and goals (not all are monetary, as we know).
All the best,
Maria :)
Maria, your mother-in-law is blessed to have you caring for her. I am unable to care for my elderly Mom. My younger siblings are doing that for me. I live out on the West coast of the USA. My Mom and my siblings live in the upper midwest state of Minnesota. I used to care for my late husband during his cancer illness until I no longer could. He was put in a hospice care home which provided me with more opportunities to take care of my health. He died 6 years ago. I have other people taking care of me in my assisted living. Thanks for sharing. I am glad you are doing well. Yes, nice to have access to a laptop, tablets, and mobile phones. You too have a great week. Stay productive.
Hi Brenda,
I'm so sorry to hear about your late husband. You must have been absolutely indispensable for him in his hours of need and he was blessed to you have you caring for him too.
It's good to know that your family also pulls together in terms of looking after your elderly Mom. I'm glad you have people taking care of you too. Thank you for sharing your story with us here on WA; I would have never known, Brenda. Thank you and stay blessed and productive too, my friend.
Maria :)
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Yes true, our loved ones, mums and dads, Mine is 72 years old and she still at my good hands and hearts care and love,
beautiful post
Clotilda
Aww thank you for sharing this with us, Clo, and also for the lovely feedback on this post which I wrote a couple of years ago. Much appreciated.
Sadly, my mother-in-law passed away in February 2024 and she is no longer in pain but rather in a much better place with loved ones.
May your loved ones be around for many years for you to enjoy their company still. 🙏
Best wishes,
Maria ☺️
Thanks and appreciated,
Clo