As children we rely on our parents for nurture and safety, guidance and compassion—in short, everything we need to realize our place in the world. For many adults, the roles eventually become reversed, and we can find ourselves caring for the loved ones who raised us, helping them cope with physical and mental infirmities. Those situations can carry not only heavy burdens on our time and finances, they often tax our emotional capacities and affect many other aspects of our lives. Senior Care Stories is a forum designed to help adults who are caring for aging parents cope with feelings and frustrations by allowing them to share their experiences with other caregivers. We also hope that the blog will foster an exchange of helpful tips and information that make the task of senior care a little easier.
According to a recent USA Today/ABC News/Gallup Poll, about 41 percent of baby boomers are helping care for an aging parent, and nearly half of those who aren’t worry about being able to do so in the future. Dozens of books and Web sites have been created to provide medical and professional advice to help them fulfill this obligation. Senior Care Stories, however, seeks to address other needs—to provide practical, day-to-day advice on making the best of a difficult situation, and to create a network of understanding and support among adults dealing with their deteriorating parents.
The editors of Senior Care Stories are also planning to compile the most helpful and poignant comments we receive into a book. The 100 stories in the book will come from a cross-section of people. Each will take a page or two. Some will be humorous, others heartwarming. All will include suggestions for coping with the specific problems of dealing with aging parents, be it a new technique or a new outlook. Help can be as simple as framing a simple trip to the theater as an adventure, or understanding a parent’s need to retain his or her dignity despite failing health or acuity. And all the stories will seek to assure those dealing with aging parents that there are many others going through the same set of emotions, and there are resources to make the journey easier.
