What If Your Doctor Said You Need Long-Term Care?

My work with senior citizens began the age of twenty-six. At the time

my clients seemed really old. Because of the nature of the services I

provided, my work required an intimate relationship. The life stories

they shared is a big part in how I have lived my life.

What are Long-term care facilities and what is their purpose?

According to the government website nursing homes, skilled nursing

facilities, and assisted living facilities, known as long-term care

facilities, offer services, both medical and personal care, to people

who are unable to independently manage on their own. You can find more

information at the government long-term care website.

Long-term illness can rob us of our dignity and even our identity. We

all think "that's never going to happen to me" but it does happen for

many of us. When the time comes we are not usually ready mentally,

emotionally, or spiritually. And our family members are even less

ready.


Being un-prepared is worst than the diagnosis because we are in shock

and denial. We aren't ready to give up our active life, and we

certainly don't want to have other people help us bathe and eat. How

humiliating!

Yet, for many people this tragedy becomes a reality. Living with our

children is just not an option. They have their own lives and their

jobs and children. With the economy being in scare mode moving in is a

real burden.

Sometimes our children insist on not placing us in a facility because

they feel too much guilt. And after we move in with them and learn of

the burden we have placed on them we then feel the guilt.

Education is the key. Long-term care discussions are worse to us than

death. Long-term care means we actually live with an unfamiliar entity

that creates emotional guilt and pain which leads to depression making

matters worse.

Several of my clients in my early years shared stories of the

holocaust. I listened intently as they repeated horrors of their

escape, many without their parents. One of the commonalities among

them was simply this; they learned how to live in the present moment.

If they worried about tomorrow they said they would have gone insane.

If they thought of their past the pain was just too intense. Yet they

had to work through the horrors of their past holocaust experiences,

in present moment when they were safe in America.

It's catch twenty-two for humans to work through past tribulations and

live in present moment. Long-term care illness is this part of life we

don't want to experience.

The education about Long-term care facilities and home-health care

must become one of our priorities as we grow older. While we can't

live in "what if" life existence, long-term care could be a reality.

Learn the options while you are able to make decisions.

Today in these difficult financial times, health-care is a household

word. For the most part long-term care is rarely discussed. Yet it is

a reality we may find ourselves living. You can learn valuable lessons

and how to cope when and if long-term care illness enters your life.

Education is necessary before it happens. Don't wait until it's too

late. Stay informed. Become aware of your options.

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