I am no longer afraid.
As we have all seen in the industry, many families were pushing to keep their loved ones at home when the uncertainty of Coronavirus found its way into our world. Families were leaning on each other more than ever due to many at home services becoming limited with staffing and COVID protocols.
I was introduced to a family who had really stepped into this caregiver role while determining what was best for their parents. This particular husband and wife started to need more assistance than what they could receive at home with the wife recently suffering from a stroke leaving her ability to care for her husband with dementia very limited. They were so blessed to be able to have a daughter who worked in the industry as a certified nurse assistant, however even those of us who have caregiver experience when too close to the situation can be very overwhelming. Not only is it hard to step into this role but to do it and still try to make a living outside of home is not sustainable.
The daughter had reached out to me to start discussing next steps for her dad as he had recently been falling when she was not home and led to hospitalizations that were out of her control. The daughter admitted they had waited too long because they did not want to put their dad into a community and not be able to see him.
This has been these families main concerns and rightfully so. Separating husband and wife with the unknown of when they will see each other again is devastating, and even more so when your loved one is declining.
Maintain Me has been working closely with all the communities here in the Denver Metro area and I wanted to take a second to educate the community about how creative they have been about trying to keep families united and together. I am so grateful to see families come together to care for one another and also proud of them for working through these hard times. Communities have created spaces for families to be together, they have purchased iPad and helped seniors one-on-one to call and video their families, created window visits (as hard as that may seem) and continue everyday to ensure the safety of our aging population while honoring what means the most to them, family!
I hope this story will give hope to those who are in the caregiver role right now as well as provide thanks to our communities who continually are trying to make this better for our clients. TOGETHER we can find a way to serve our aging population to the best of our ability during trying times!
Chelsea Sweeney
RN Case Manager
Certified Placement Referral Specialist (CPRS)
720-629-3050
Chelsea@maintain-me.com