They spent their lives providing care and a home for you. Now it is your turn to pay it forward for an aging parent.
How long do you spend scrolling on your cell phone? Surfing the web? Reading a few chapters in a book? What about the time you spend flipping through TV programs? Have you ever walked into a room where your aging mom or dad is sitting and looked at them and thought:
Why is she just sitting there?
Why doesn’t she smile more?
Why won’t she eat?
How can I get her more involved?
This answer is simple, fast and easy. It’s a gift, and it’s simple to provide. I’m talking about YOUR TIME. Time is something we have which, if you’re honest with yourself, can be put to better use. Ask your mom to join you in the kitchen to help prepare a meal. If you’re reading a book, ask if she would like for you to read aloud to her. If you’re flipping through your TV channels, ask her if she would like to watch a specific show. If your surfing the web, shut it off or put your phone away and bring out a puzzle, play a game of checkers, put pen and paper to good use, get out a word search, or open a family photo album, or try sitting outside together and simply watch the skies and talk.
There are many great resources on the web for those you providing home care for a parent and looking for ways to spend quality time. Here are few websites that I like to visit every now and then:
www.caring-for-aging-parents.com
http://careforagingparents.com/resources/
Look at the smile on my mom’s face! I can tell you from personal experience that spending quality time with her as good for her as it is for me!!
Written by Amy Moreno
