It is hard to explain to those who have not experienced it. It doesn't need to be explained to those who have experienced it. It is high summer. Those who are unencumbered by caring for someone who cannot fend for themselves are out camping, swimming, surfing, sailing. Enjoying nature, companionship and camaraderie. Experiencing adventures that will form memories that will last a lifetime. Here we are caring for our frail elder. She is in good spirits, but her body is failing. We have been here before over the years. For every health crisis we have watched and waited, nursed, made phone calls, discussed amongst ourselves what to do. And each time, to date, our frail elder has recovered. Each time, she has recovered enough to keep going. Each time she has regained some strength, some mobility, some degree of freedom from pain. Each time, she has also lost some strength, some mobility, some freedom from pain. Each time, she has lost some capacity and capability to fend for herself....
Trevor and I have been watching "Portrait Artist of the Year" to inspire our own drawing and painting. On a sunny Wednesday afternoon Trevor asked Mom if he could draw her portrait as she sat out on the porch. After Trevor was done, he encouraged Mom to draw his portrait. Mom agreed to give it a try and spent the next 20 to 30 minutes concentrating on her drawing. It was a revelation to see Mom's drawing - the detail, the proportion, the layers, the perspective, the shading. She was surprised too, and thoroughly enjoyed looking at the drawings on display for the rest of the afternoon. In the following days, we have all spent happy time looking at the drawings, talking about portraiture, and admiring Mom's work. She beams from her big green chair, happy to be part of the interests and creative work of the household. It is one thing to provide for the facilities, the physical and medical care, for our elders in-home caregiving. There are additional intangible but si...
It is hard to explain what it is like to be responsible for everything to keep our frail elders as well as can be expected. There are no hard and fast rules about what is the next right thing to do. There is a constant internal dialogue about what to do next, what is needed next, what is necessary, what is over doing it, what is intrusive, what is respectful, what is dignified, what is an emergency, what is normal, what does it mean to allow 'nature to take its course'. The question that surfaces every moment that my attention is not occupied elsewhere is, "Did I do enough? Is there something I need to do now?" It is the enormity of the responsibility, many, many days, carried out alone or in isolation. Other family members are traveling, working, socializing, crafting - occupied with their own pursuits and concerns. They are not thinking about what did Mom eat today? Does she need to toilet? Is she lonely or enjoying her solitude? Is she bored or enjoying the qui...
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