MY SUN DAY NEWS
December 10, 2020
I am the primary caregiver to my aging parents, and to be frank, I am exhausted.
I have a routine doctor appointment scheduled for this month and am considering canceling the appointment. I’m an 84-year-old male and have diabetes. I typically see my doctor every four months, but my last appointment was pushed back due to COVID. I know I’m due for blood work but am worried about being exposed to COVID while in the doctor’s office. Do you have any advice?
My husband and I are in our 70s. We’ve made some wonderful memories with our grandkids this summer with social distancing visits outdoors. Now that the weather is turning cooler, we’re concerned that our visits won’t be as frequent.
fter having to postpone their summer wedding, my grandson and fiancé have decided to have an intimate wedding this fall. While they are keeping the wedding party and guest list small, I still have reservations about attending. I’m in my late 70s and am relatively healthy, aside from suffering from seasonal allergies.
My wife and I are in our late 50s and retirement is on our minds. We do plan to continue to work for a few more years, but we’re nearing the next season of our lives. We have three children, one in high school, two in college. We feel that they are adequately set for their futures, now we want to focus on us.
Within the last few years, I’ve noticed that my fingers aren’t working as they used to. I’m in my 80s and have always enjoyed crafting. Since I can remember, I’ve held knitting needles in my hands, creating scarves, blankets, sweaters, and more, for friends and family. I’ve since put my knitting aside, however, I recently learned that I’ll have a great-grandchild early next year.
My elderly mother has had a recent fall. She fell in the middle of the night, trying to find her way to the bathroom. While she’s doing fine now, it’s evident that we need to make some changes to her bathroom to prevent future falls.
As we continue to watch southern states see a rise in COVID cases, I’m concerned about what our area will look like this fall.
My mother is scheduled to have her hip replaced in a few weeks, after suffering from chronic pain for many years. Her surgery has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she can hardly wait to be relieved of her chronic pain. She’s in her mid-70s, and her care team seems hopeful for a quick recovery.
I’m a senior who lives alone and am wrestling with disappointment as the COVID-19 crisis continues. I’m having difficulty sleeping at night, I’m lonely, and I’m over virtual visits. I just want to hug my children and grandchildren, but don’t know when it will be safe to do so. My family lives out of town, so a social distancing visit isn’t possible right now.
It has been about five weeks now since we’ve spent time with my aging parents due to COVID-19. This is the longest that we’ve spent apart, given that we live near each other and are used to visiting at least once a week.
I am a very concerned daughter who is worried about her mother. My mom, 68 years, has been on self-quarantine since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. I unfortunately live states away. My sister lives nearby, but because she continues to work in the hospital setting, she has chosen not to visit our mother during this crisis. My mom is used to spending a lot of time with my sister and her family throughout the week. She feels cut off and isolated.
I’m a senior who was recently targeted by a scammer. I answered a phone call and was greeted by a young gentleman’s voice. He proceeded to tell me that a warrant was out for my arrest because I neglected to show up for jury duty that day. He sounded legitimate and alarmed me for a moment. I panicked while he began to tell me the consequences for not appearing for my jury summons and asked me to confirm my social security number so he could begin processing my arrest.
I’m an elderly senior who lives alone. I have two daughters who live nearby and pop in as often as they can. However, I recognize that they have their own lives and I don’t want to be a burden to them. I have a few prescriptions that I take, as well as a few vitamins and supplements that my friends have recommended. I’m struggling with managing my medications.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, I find myself more and more down and gloomy. I knew this holiday would be difficult since losing my spouse, but I hadn’t realized just how challenging it will be for me to get through this day. Do you have any suggestions for how I can face this day without the love of my life?
My dad, age 83, is currently in the hospital due to pneumonia. His doctor wants to keep him for a few more days to monitor his oxygen levels. In the meantime, I’m a daughter feeling helpless. My mom, 79, insists they don’t need any special treatment, even though I can see her age starting to slow her down. Do you have any suggestions for how I can help, without it coming across as help, so that my dad can recover fully from pneumonia and my mom not wind up in the hospital from overexerting herself?
I am a senior living alone. My adult children and I are close relationally, however, two of them live far away. My one daughter that lives nearby is an accountant and is very busy this time of year. My closest friend spends the winter months with her daughter in Florida. December always keeps me busy as I prepare for the holidays and have opportunities to spend quality time with my children and grandchildren. January leaves me feeling empty and isolated, even though I just had a wonderful holiday season. Do you have any suggestions for those struggling with the post-holiday blues?
My family and I recently relocated to my husband’s hometown and are grateful to live within minutes of his grandparents. While it’s nice to be able to pop in with our little boys and visit them at the drop of a hat, seeing them slowly decline in health is bittersweet. Recently, we’ve noticed that they seem to have less and less energy and aren’t up for large crowds or long visits.
My elderly parents are relatively healthy. They live on their own and can navigate their lives with little help. While I’m grateful that my parents are doing so well at their age, I still get concerned about their health. My daughter is expecting her first baby later this month. My daughter has expressed concern over my parents, her grandparents, meeting their first great-grandchild because she’s a first-time mom and worried about protecting the health of her newborn.
For the past fifty-five years, my elderly parents have always hosted a large Thanksgiving family dinner. Including everyone, there are over four nuclear families represented and nearly forty people in total. Everyone looks forward to this event and everyone chips in something, regardless of my mom’s insistence to take care of it all.
With Veteran’s Day approaching, I struggle each year on how to teach the significance of the day to my teenaged children. My dad, their grandfather, served in the military. He lives locally, so we usually take him out to dinner or stop by his home for a visit on Veteran’s Day. While I think he appreciates my intentions, I feel like I’m not doing enough to educate my children and to show our sincere appreciation for his service.
My elderly mom has been showing some signs of dementia in the last year. She lives alone and prefers to keep to herself. While she lives in a decent neighborhood and knows her immediate next-door neighbors, I worry about her on Halloween. She loves the holiday, always made our costumes as kids, still helps to make her grandchildren’s costumes. She gets such joy from giving candy to the trick-or-treaters and seeing them in costumes.
My teenaged son was over at my parents’ house visiting when he called me in a panic. My mom had mistaken the glass that contained her Efferdent denture cleaning for her glass of Alka-Seltzer and drank it. Both were tablets that fizzed, and she had put them side by side on the kitchen counter. My son didn’t know what to do, so I quickly called poison control.
My dad is approaching his 80th birthday. While he is in somewhat good health for his age, my mom worries about his health. He hasn’t had a physical exam for a few years now. He claims he feels great, aside from a few aches and pains that come with age. When he has a cold, he refuses to see a doctor, saying he’ll just take it easy.
I am at a loss when it comes to making conversation with my grandpa. I have a good relationship with him but was always a little closer with my grandma. She passed away a few years ago, and since her passing, my grandpa seems a little withdrawn. He moved to assisted living about two years ago, and while he is doing well health-wise, he has occasional memory lapses. He lights up when I come to visit, especially when I bring my family (he loves watching my little ones toddle around the halls), but after the basic, “How are you, what’s new,” I find myself searching for conversation topics and ways to connect with him. Do you have any suggestions on how I can better engage my grandpa in conversation?
My elderly mother recently had a doctor’s appointment that probably could have gone better. My mother is independent and capable, but she tends to downplay her ailments when speaking with the doctor. She does, however, call me to complain about how fast the appointment went. How can I help my mom prepare for her next doctor’s appointment so that she goes into it with greater confidence and competence?
I think it’s time for all of us to have a conversation about hiring more help, but I don’t know how to approach the topic. Do you have any tips?
We recently visited my elderly mother-in-law over the holiday weekend. While it was wonderful to see her, my family and I spent most of the time literally sweating out the visit. I mean, it was almost cooler outside than it was inside her small home. My husband adjusted the thermostat to give us a reprieve from the heat, only to discover that my mother-in-law turned the air conditioning off later in the evening.
I’m starting to feel concerned about my mother’s memory. She’s turning 75 next week and she seems to be more forgetful these days. She constantly misplaces her car keys. She repeats stories about the nuances of her day.
