No Fair! Out of Sight, Out of Mind – But Not For Me!

He travels and has fun – I stress and worry about our Dad

My brother posted more amazing pictures from Thailand today. He and his family are touring, eating amazing meals, and look like they are having so much fun! I doubt our dad’s loneliness, depression, dementia or whether the caregivers were doing their jobs have entered his mind at all these past couple weeks.

Even when he’s not on vacation, he lives states away and counts on me to take care of everything with dad. Sure, he visits a couple times a year for a couple days at a time. Big whoop – maybe six hours a year.

Ok. I’m whining. I volunteered to bring dad to my home town. To find him an assisted living community and to get him settled. What I know now, that I didn’t know then is how draining it is mentally. I’ve tried visiting every day. I’ve tried visiting once every two or three weeks. It doesn’t matter. He’s in my mind constantly.

Sometimes I long for the days when he lived near my brother and I used to travel, eat amazing meals, and look like I was having so much fun! Dad’s loneliness, depression, dementia, or whether the caregivers were doing their jobs hardly ever entered my mind. I’d visit a few times a year and I felt good about it.

“We find that our PenroseCertified Senior Care Auditors really make a difference to our clients, generally the adult child(ren) of the senior,” says Rhonda Harper, CEO, Penrose Senior Care Auditors. “By visiting, on a weekly or biweekly basis, their loved-one and taking an audit of them and their living conditions, we provide these family members respite that they need and want.”

Senior care auditors generally range between $40 and $100 a visit. You can learn more by going to http://www.penroseseniorcareauditors.com.

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