Elderly Parents and My Own Future

Some of my coworkers and friends are dealing with elderly and failing parents.  I dealt with that some few years ago, and because of the physical distance between myself and my parents, I was spared the day to day trauma.

But trauma it is.  There are so many factors and facets to dealing with elderly parents:  To name a few: their perception of their capabilities, and their desire not to surrender independence. The reality of their abilities, especially in regards to such things as driving. Their physical strength and stamina. Their physical intactness. Their mental intactness. Their safety when they are not supervised.

As our parents age, as we age, we become less and less capable of doing the day to day tasks that we did without thought in our youth.  We are less capable physically. We forget. We start something and are distracted and can not finish. We have less interest or motivation. We have less physical strength.

Then, our body fails. We cannot walk as far, reach as high or lift as much.  We can not grasp as tightly. We can not move as quickly, or agilely as we once did. We can not stand as easily, or get up from a kneeling or crouching position. We are stiff and sore if we stay in one position too long. We lose feeling in our extremities.  

Life becomes harder in so many ways. We remember somethings, usually things of long ago, that comfort and calm us, or distress and discourage us.  Our physical faculties decline, and we can not care for ourselves the way we used to. We become dependent upon others, hopefully those who love us, and treat us with dignity and respect.

I will become, one day, as frail and infirm as my parents became.  I was not there to care for them on a day to day basis.  I do not have children who can care for me on a day to day basis. I can only hope that someone will be there, to care for me, to supervise my care. To be sure that I am not abused, nor taken advantage of, nor manipulated to my detriment.

Am I afraid? No. I am hopeful.  And I know the full Grace of God who takes care of my soul, whatever happens to my body.