Making a Difference Together
There is something very self absorbed about the caregiver to senior citizen relationship. By that we mean that most if not all of the decisions you make and subjects of concern focus either on the senior citizen and his needs or on the caregiver and the senior citizen and how you will work together to address his needs.
It is small wonder then when we think about what your elderly parent talked about all day, it’s usually all about his or her physical or emotional needs. The way the caregiver relationship works naturally encourages the idea that the senior citizens world revolves around the needs and issues of the senior citizen himself.
But we know from raising children that if a person is completely focused on themselves, that is very unhealthy. That is how one can become a hypochondriac and become overwhelmed by obsessive compulsive habits because they think everything must begin and end with their problems and there is no chance to see the world or get some perspective by being with other people.
So a bold step you as a caregiver can do is to suggest that you and your elderly parent get out of the apartment and do something of value to others. By getting involved in volunteering or at least going out and making a difference together, you provide a way for your elderly parent to get some self esteem from making someone else’s life better. It gives them chance to get out in the fresh air and break up the constant thoughts about themselves by thinking about someone else or something else for a while.
At first you may get some resistance to the idea and you may have to be downright stubborn about giving it a try. The knee jerk reaction that your elderly parent may have when you bring up volunteering together might be, “what does that have to do with my needs?” By explaining the value to him or her, you ca help your elderly parent remember that life was better when it was about others and that a life of service is a healthy life.
You don’t have to get really ambitious to find something good to do with your energies. And if your senior mom or dad is disabled, there are still things you can do. Some simple things you can do at first that gets the ball rolling are…
. Go to the park and pick up trash on a slow walk so you make the park a prettier place.
. Go visit someone else in the retirement community that he or she knows is lonely and would enjoy being dropped in on.
. Help stuff envelopes or make phone calls for your church or a charity organization. This is something you can do from a wheelchair if that is the situation with your elderly parent.
. Read to disadvantaged kids at the local library.
. Become a big brother or big sister and take a young person to a ball game or to the zoo every so often.
Most cities have a volunteer coordination agency that can match up your physical abilities with volunteer opportunities. Once you get your elderly parent involved in doing something for others, don’t be surprised if their enthusiasm takes off like a skyrocket.
The great feeling of making a difference for others can literally turn his or her life around. And on the way home as your parent chatters about the people you met and the things you are doing, you know that this idea was a hit. And when they can’t stop talking about the next thing you are going to go do together, you will know that your parent has gotten the bug for service projects. And his or her life will never be the same again. And that’s a good thing.
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Disclaimer
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site is a common sense guide to Making a Difference Together. In practical advice websites, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
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The Caregiver’s Emotions
When the End is near
The Caregiver’s Greatest Enemy
Where Should Grandma Live?
That Thing We Don’t Talk About
That Thing We Don’t Talk About
When is it Time to Step in?
Making a Difference Together
Caring for the Caregiver
Caregivers and the Work Place
Caregivers and the Work Place
When is it Time to Step in?
A Stressful Job
Senior Citizens Bill of Rights
Quality of Life for your Senior Citizen
Easing into Care Giving
Taking Care of Yourself is Part of the Job
Does Grandpa Like Himself?
Managing Your Senior Citizen’s Medications
Giving Thanks for Being a Caregiver
Where Should Grandma Live?
Easing into Care Giving
Making a Difference Together
Quality of Life for your Senior Citizen
Is Mom a Sucker?
Keeping it at Arm’s Length
Listening to Your Parents even Now
The Greatest Loss of Them All
Taking Care of Yourself is Part of the Job
The Greatest Loss of Them All
Is Mom a Sucker?
Listening to Your Parents even Now
Does Grandpa Like Himself?
Giving Thanks for Being a Caregiver
A Place to Go
Going to a Better Place
Caring for the Caregiver
When the End is near
A Place to Go
We Are the Sandwich Generation
We Are the Sandwich Generation
Keeping it at Arm’s Length
Managing Your Senior Citizen’s Medications
Guilt Helps Nobody
The Caregiver’s Greatest Enemy
Guilt Helps Nobody
A Stressful Job
Senior Citizens Bill of Rights
Going to a Better Place
The Caregiver’s Emotions
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