Striking a Chord
I’m human. We all are. As part of what I feel is my human responsibility, I’ve made taking care of seniors not only my passion but it’s my livelihood, my ‘happy place’ my ‘ministry’ if you will.
As a listening ear to adult children of aging parents for 20 years, I have heard some colossally good and atrociously bad examples. Today, I’m getting one of these phone calls off of my chest.
On a Friday afternoon I was contacted here in Ohio by a gentlemen in Florida who was ‘concerned’ about his Mother’s weight loss. When he told me that her age in years was greater than her weight in pounds-I was shocked. She was in her 80’s and it sounded like she was being forgotten at the independent living side of the enormous facility she had been living in for many years.
The son asked what I could do to help. I told him, “It’s 10:30 eastern time. I will be there before lunch, making sure she gets whatever help she needs to get sustenance and that I would personally stay until one of our great caregivers arrived to do the same for her at dinner.”
I went on to say that we would also supplement with an ASSURE beverage (high calorie nearly milkshake protein beverage) and numerous snacks thru the daytime until such time as she was eating properly and had sufficient energy to begin to eat on her own. Sometimes all it takes is someone to sit next to you and eat. Along with that immediate action, I described the other benefits of our services. We would be providing companionship in order to assist in any way we could to address whatever issues (memory, depression, loneliness) that are creating this non-eating issue.
His reply was shocking to me and still bothers me. “Do you need to stay that many hours? I’d like shorter visits so I am going to call around for a lower price plan.” I think I was in shock. Remember how I mentioned that I’m human? I am not really proud of what I said next. I replied:
“Do you want care for your Mother as often as she needs to eat, or just as often as it is that you think about her?” I hit the brakes and let that statement settle in for him. If he had a soul, my hope was that it would be blinded by the light.
I don’t even remember the end of that phone call. I do remember him calling me on Monday however to let me know his Mother had passed over the weekend. It was a double whammy and I told him he would have the rest of his life to think about how little he helped her in her time of need. Oops. Did I say that? I sure did. Oh well.
“Do NOT go into senior advocacy if you don’t have a passion for caring. You’ll end up being nice to people who don’t deserve it.” My regrets about this case will always hurt as I didn’t have the woman’s last name. I didn’t know where she was. I had an out of state son who refused to act. My hands were tied and this poor woman suffered. She could have flourished. When we advocate for the needs of the seniors we are honored to serve, we advise them of what’s true:
As we endeavor to serve others, God opens doors. Whenever we encounter family members who (sometimes unbeknownst to them) are neglecting their loved ones? Yeah, we have no problem kicking those doors down.
Your treasured family member is safe with us. We are here to serve your family and to advocate for your senior loved-ones needs. If it were easy, we wouldn’t need the toughest, kindest, bullet proof staff of caring caregivers in Central Ohio.
Ben Smith is not angry, but he is inspired by the differences his team can make for your family in Columbus, Ohio. Call today to schedule a meeting with Ben to address the care concerns for your senior loved one. Their care plan will involve one-on-one attention and will result in building a relationship with a caregiver as well as a company that will be advocating and providing around the clock care coverage when it is needed. Try our 24-Hour Home Care Hotline to learn more: (614) HOME-CARE 466-3227.
