I have to admit that at times it must be difficult to be my friend.  I don’t think that it is because I am not a fun person (I think that I am) or compassionate or even considerate of other people’s feelings, rather that they never know what they might tell me that will become the topic of my next newsletter article.  “Fodder”, as one friend recently dubbed our conversations.

My good friend, let’s call him Larry, was telling me of his challenge to find appropriate care for his 92 year old grandmother.  Now, if anyone immediately conjures up the perfect solution for a family healthcare issue, it would be Larry, a social worker who has held a variety of important positions in eldercare over the past eleven years.

His grandmother, living in a city near his home, is mentally sharp but cannot walk and needs to find an appropriate long term care facility in which to live.

One would think that this should be easy for Larry to figure out, since he knows all of the people in the field and has visited nearly every facility, in this community.  Well, one would need to think again.  He has yet to find a facility or homecare solution to fit his grandmother’s situation and as we discussed all available options, neither have I.

I believe that by continuing to search out the right solution and by asking questions of everyone he knows, the answer will eventually appear to him and his family. And anyone who knows me, knows that I believe that asking more questions is the answer to most caregiver conundrums, I just wanted to let you know that when it comes to caring for our families, it is not always easier for those in the know.  I don’t know, somehow that makes me feel a little better about my own caregiving challenges. 

To all who responded to last week’s article about the loss of my cat, Dashell,  I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for your words of comfort.