It would be great if they could have visitors all year long but the truth once again is that a great many don’t. It’s hard for some people to find time away from their own families and work on top of that to visit the elderly. It’s also difficult for some elderly to understand that since many moms did not have to work when they were young.

     However if you can spare time don’t forget about them. If you listen you’ll find they have have great stories to pass on to the next generation and they would appreciate the visit more than you know.

     So if you can find a spare hour in your busy schedule for a visit or better yet to take them out for a nice dinner or something it would behove you to do so. If you don’t know any elderly just go and find out from staff who doesn’t get many visitors. Maybe you’ll make a new friend.

     I respect that, but it leaves me feeling like I could have done more for them had I known about their conditions earlier.

     Until it happens to you you don’t know how it feels but I can tell you that those who haven’t gone through it are tired of hearing about it. They figure after a couple months you should be over it. After all they were old right?

     Yes they were old at seventy-five and four but no matter how old we all were they were still my mom and dad.

     For our new readers my mother died of congenital heart disease when I was with her making us breakfast. She had been getting sicker and sicker those last few months and had fallen asleep on the couch. By the time the eggs were done she had passed, asleep and peacefull.

     My dad was already in a hospice unit for colon cancer and he passed on the fourth of Dec., her on the second. He told his doctor he didn’t want any drugs or surgery to prolong his life. He told his doctor he lived a full life, had a family and was able to enjoy many years of retirement with my mom. He must have known how sick she was and stuck around just long enough so they could go as close together as possible.

      I love you, mom and dad.

Could you imagine having to take personal care of eleven seniors who need help for all their daily functions? That includes feedings, cleaning, dressing, and toileting.

The ratio should be numbers a lot closer so the staff isn’t so stretched and stressed. However if that happened the homes would have to hire more staff which would cost them more money and eat into more profit.

My final thought on this is don’t go to any home named or run by Sunrise Senior Care.

A senior care living facility is right in between a seniors own home and a nursing home. This lady was starting to suffer from dementia meaning that she was at times confused and I am assuming this is why she no longer lived at home. The woman complained to her family that she was being hit and otherwise abused. When the family complained the home said there were no findings of abuse. Of course they’d say that.

The poor lady had visible bruises and the family took photos of those. They then placed a hidden camera in the woman’s room and caught three care managers laughing, dancing, and hitting her while trying to put her shirt on her.

Now I could name the chains name, but what does it matter. The problem doesn’t start there. It starts with the states and government rules and regulations.  This chain has over 300 homes in the U.S. and the U.K.  Story continued next post.

The elderly who are in nursing homes lose the most. Not only have they had to say goodbye to family and friends who have passed on, but they also lose health, home, and beloved posessions. This is a lot for one to lose and somewhere along the way they lose their joy of life and hope for the future.

It’s very sad to see someone who has given up on life and it’s almost impossible to expect them to fully celebrate the holidays. Even if they have families the most they can expect is a couple hour visit or if they’re very lucky a trip out to spend part of the day with family in their home. They find it difficult to fully embrace those visits when they know the next one might not be till next year, if they even have a next year.

So if you know an elderly person try to make a commitment to spend some quality family time with them all year around, holiday or not. It could mean the world to an older person to know someone still cares.

What they don’t know is that dentists hate this sweet holiday because the candy will last for days and maybe even weeks afterward and little teeth will pay the price.

Some dentist clinics have come up with an answer. They are asking that the kids turn in their candy for a dollar a pound. The candy will then be sent to an organization where it will then be sent to the troops.

I think this is a great idea. The kids still get to dress up and trick or treat, the dentist save their teeth, the kids earn money, and the troops get some treats. Seems like everyone wins here.

Babies don’t usually get the vaccine till they are at least two months old. so infants under that age are very much at risk for catching the deadly disease if they come into contact with someone who has it.

I saw a commercial that addressed this topic and advised that older people get vaccinated for it so that they don’t spread it to others and infants.

I can understand why parents don’t get the shot for their children. There are risks and there are also those kids who react very badly and even die from it. Now realize we are talking about one in hundreds of thousands or even millions. The problem is that no one wants their child to be that one.

However, there is probably more of a risk with not vaccinating your child. Not only are you putting your child at risk of catching it but other babies as well. It’s a lot to think about I know. I will tell you from my own family’s and friends experience we’ve had no problems with any of the shots our children got.

It’s probably best to limit your childs social life till they’re older than two months old.

My dad was not perfect in anyway but he tried. He was a hard worker all his life and was loyal to my mom to the end. In fact he loved her so much that he ignored the early symptoms of his illness and by the time he was forced to see a doctor it was too late. My mother was very ill also and he chose to stay with her and take care of her till he couldn’t anymore, rather than seek treatment. I believe he knew she was dying soon and he didn’t want to live without her.  She passed away while he was in hospice on Dec. 2nd and he died on Dec. 4th after we assured him that she was at peace.

Two months earlier in Oct was when my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild, I was lucky enough to be present when he entered the world. My parents got to meet him before they died which we were grateful for. I was also present when my mom passed away. I feel very lucky to have been there when someone I loved came into the world and someone else I loved left this world. Not many people get that privilege.

Many of these folks never leave the home and it would mean a lot to them to be included in the families plans. For them, going out beats a visit every time.

If it’s not possible to take them out you could ask the home if your family can make arrangements to have Thanksgiving dinner in the home with the resident. Maybe they will let you have your family meal before or after the rest of the residents have used the dining room. You could then bring your prepared food after checking with the nursing and dietary staff about what the resident is allowed to have or not have.

Good luck with your Thanksgiving plans!

As far as I know she is still alive. Need I say more?