Seniors in Transition

Ok, dealing or finally facing the reality of seniors in transition with your aging family member(s). Your Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, there are some things that you really need to know. It seems that someone always gets elected in a family to be the primary care giver or to be the one in charge of the Senior. (It really sucks, but it is a reality and being aware of can help you and others to break this bad habit). This has a profound impact on the care giver family as the direct or indirect costs slowly cut in to the family’s recreation money. This is rarely planned and it is a plus if the Senior has money stashed which makes things better. The Senior’s money is another subject.. Let’s not go there now.

The one thing you have to work on during this process when you see that YOU alone are that you feel like you are doing 99% of the work, and covering all the incidental cost to make it happen. And of course nobody in the family sends checks or offers to pay for something. Most of the time it’s all YOU.. What is up with that? This one-sided deal is repeated all of the world, specifically in the U.S. because most family members just can’t or do not want to participate…they just don’t get it.

Unless you have a perfectly functional family I suggest you do the following.
“BUILD A BRIDGE…AND THEN GET OVER IT”

There are many stages of the moving, storing, and managing your Senior(s) crap. Caring for their stuff is one of the biggest pains and ongoing issues you will ever experience. Word to the wise…start tossing some of your own stuff to make room for theirs when it happens…

If you are in your late 40′s and 50′s, try asking a friend what they did with their parents stuff when they were around or alive. I am certain you will get a sigh or a snicker, or a even a blirt of emotion, followed by a colorful story. Listen to their story, it will help you better understand them.

I will do my best to give you a chronological list of the stages and highlights of the Senior in transition process. Hopefully, you can wrap your head around this being an ongoing process. Understand that you are not alone. There are many many others that are going through these things they have had the the same or similar things happen to you, …. Trust me, you will live through it with grace so you can keep your shrink bills will be at a minimum.

My wife’s side of the family has a very good sense of humor. Moving my mother-in-law could have been worse, and yes, we had our moments. My Mother-In-Law, I will now affectionately refer to as “G-Ma”. G-Ma went kicking and screaming moving all the way from Las Vegas Nevada, to our home in Huntington Beach / Fountain Valley…LOL.

As the caregiver, we do it all with love and determination. Please free to comment in this blog and let me know if you would like to be an author. I think this part of life’s stages is fascinating and it is rarely openly discussed.
I think that the responses to this blog will be active. Below are the general stages of a Senior in Transition.

1. 911 Long distance Health Care
2. Driving costs, now gas considerations
3. Stress on the job or at work
4. Alternatives – Discussions
5. Brothers, Sisters, and Relatives
6. Making room and Alternatives
7. Family meetings
8. Denial
9. Finances – Reality
10. Downsizing – Tossing, giving away, selling, buying stuff back….LOL
11. More Stress
12. Local Doctors
13. Friends, leaving friends
14. Moving to a better place
15. Settling In
16. Pill Control – “Pill Nazi”
17. Reaching out…..Stay-tuned

Recap Video – 12-25-2008 –