Sitting at their desks at the prime of their lives, a woman and a man work diligently. They go to work, come home, spend some time with their family, and then off to work again. This continues on for several years. Day after day, the same routine every day. Work, home, family time, work, and home again.
Time Flies
One day at the age of retirement, they both look at each other while they watch their grandchildren run around the family home. “Where has the time gone?” the man asked his wife.
“Really! It was just yesterday that we were taking the kids to school and today grandchildren,” said the wife.
“Now we can’t even take care of ourselves these days. With your arthritis and my diabetes, how are we going to manage?” he says. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll be fine, but maybe it’s time for us to make arrangements so we don’t burden our children.”
“Indeed,” she replied.
As they continue to watch their grandchildren play, their daughter walks into the living room and sits across from them and says, “Hey Mom and Dad, are you guys okay? Do you need anything?”
No, we’re fine,” they both replied. “Laura, we want to talk to you about something.”
A feeling of anxiety came over Laura. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing dear, we just want to talk to you about our living arrangement. Do you remember last week when we went to go visit your aunt at Pegasus Senior Living?”
Laura replies, “Yes, I remember.”
“Well, we were thinking about moving there, as well. I mean you have our grandchildren to take care of and we don’t want to burden you with our conditions,” said her dad.
Laura replies, “It’s not a burden at all but if that’s what you want then I respect your decision. Are you sure that is what both of you want?”
“Yes, Laura I think it’s what’s best for both your mother and I.”
Nostalgia
Laura sits and listens to her parents talk about moving to the senior living center. As they converse she remembers the time when her parents took her to school and how they always worried about her being okay. She remembers when it was time to go home, they would rush to pick her up from school. Then ask her how her day went. She remembers how her parents took good care of her growing up. As she sat there, she sees how much older they have become since then.
She tells them, “It really isn’t a burden to me. You’ve taken care of me and my children and now it’s time for me to care of both of you!”
Laura’s dad said, “Laura, I know it’ll be an adjustment at first, but it is what’s best for all of us. You have to focus on being a parent now. We’ve lived our lives and are blessed. It’s time, Laura. Besides, your aunt is there and we must admit, we are kind of jealous of their theme nights there at the senior center! We’ll be fine, don’t worry! You can visit us anytime.”
Laura’s eyes start to get teary as she remembers all the wonderful memories they have had together at home. “If you think that is what’s best for you both, then I will agree to it. But don’t think you’ve gotten away from watching your grandkids now.”
They all laugh and Laura gives them a hug.
Senior Living
Laura decides to research senior living homes and communities. She never really thought about it much as she expected she would be taking care of her elderly parents. She goes online and researches what to expect from a senior living center. She wanted to make sure her parents will be comfortable and safe. She wanted to make sure they had support whenever they needed. Most importantly, she wanted to make sure they would be happy and be cared for. In an article, it gives some recommendations on what to look for when visiting a senior living facility. It says to ask questions, like the kind of training the staff has, what their qualifications are, what is the “staff-to-patient ratio”, and how does the staff talk to their residents?
Laura jots the information down on a small notebook. She looks up and sees her parents watching television from afar. She thinks to herself, “I’m going to miss seeing them every day, but if this is what they want, their wish is granted. They’ve given me the best in life and I want to fulfill their wishes as they did mine.”
