Some journeys in life require you to be strong and bold and brave. One of the journeys that I have had to go on was my mother becoming terminally ill with a form of dementia called FTD. Frontal Temporal Dementia is a disease that robs the patient of all of themselves, their personality goes, their speech goes, their ability to do things that they loved goes and their ability to have empathy goes, for some that have this disease they also lose their dignity. I was fortunate as my mom never lost her dignity thanks to my dad, home health care and hospice she was able to stay in her own home of 40 plus years until she passed away right before Thanksgiving.
In today’s world, where a family is not always close by, it is so hard to have to go through something like this. I was in a time of my life when I had kids of my own needing attention and in my case brand new grandkids needing attention. I felt guilty, lonely and like I had abandoned my mom when she needed me most.
When my dad thought it was time to get some help in their home to be with mom and take over some of the caregiving duties I was relieved. Even though I was not doing the caretaking, I knew that she was in good hands and her needs were being handled by people who cared. It gave my dad some much needed time to do some of the other things in life that had fallen to the wayside. It was not easy for him to give over some of his wife to others to care for, but he knew she deserved to be home with us as long as possible and in order to do that he needed help.
The nurses, doctors, caregivers and volunteers that helped with my mom were heaven sent, they cared about her like it was their own family, they were always there to talk with my dad and give him guidance on what to do for my mom. I know for me and my whole family it was a peace of mind knowing that if anything were to happen there were people there to help feed and care for her.
When my mom’s last week came the doctor visited her and had a long talk with my dad, explained all of the things that would happen and what kind of time line we could expect. The nurses came and helped keep her comfortable and pain free, and as horrible as I remember that day being, I remember being so relieved that my dad had people to call that cared for him and for my mom, to be there in a time when they really needed somebody. The pastor that visited my mom and dad in the time of her being cared for even did my mother’s funeral, they cared for her like family.
If you find yourself in a position like we were in and need to find reliable, affordable care at home, there is a great online service that can help you find those perfect people for your loved ones. Home Hero, is a database for you to look at all of the providers in your area. You can do a search for the type of care you need and the type of person you want. You can even search for all males or females if that makes you more comfortable.
This was so far, one of the hardest, most difficult journeys I have ever been on, it was so wonderful to not have to walk that journey alone, having professionals around at times like this can be so reassuring. Home Hero can help you find just the right care you need.
“This is a sponsored post with Mums the Word Blogger Network and HomeHero. All opinions are my own.”
Leave a Reply