Even with a Fracture, it was a Great Christmas – Thanks to Elderly Care
Christmas was Hazel’s favorite time of the year. One of her greatest joys in life was writing Christmas cards and sending small gifts to each of her three children and nine grandkids. She always made sure to start writing cards and shopping gifts well before Thanksgiving to allow herself plenty of time to tackle the undertaking.
This year, however, there was an extra complication in the mix: she had fallen and fractured her wrist near the end of October. She was on her way to mending well, but she was generally having more difficulty with everything these days. Dressing, cooking and housework was incredibly challenging with a broken wrist. She was essentially one-handed. She was always surprised to find how tired she was by the end of the day!
Hazel wasn’t driving due to the cast. She couldn’t imagine doing all that shopping, or writing out all those cards! She felt so sad at the thought of missing out on her favorite Christmas tradition. She shared her feelings with her daughter Margo one evening over the phone.
“Mom,” suggested Margo, “Why don’t you hire an elderly care aide to help write out the cards? I know how important sending them is to you. I can call the elderly care agency and ask them to send an aide who could spend a couple hours – or however long you need ‒ helping you with it.”
Hazel brightened immediately at the prospect. “Do you think they would do that?” she asked.
“I’m sure they would,” responded Margo. “Tell you what. Let me give them a call tomorrow, and then we’ll know for sure.”
Hazel smiled. “Thank you, Honey. I appreciate it.”
The next afternoon Margo called Hazel. “Mom, I talked to the elderly care agency. They said they absolutely can have someone come out and help you with your Christmas cards!”
“That’s terrific!” cried Hazel.
“But, that’s not all,” continued Margo. “They can also take you shopping – if you want – to pick up some gifts. Or, they can help you pick them out online.”
Hazel’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Margo, thank you, I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Margo smiled. “And, while they are there, they can help out with laundry and housework, if that’s okay with you.”
“Really?” Hazel was surprised.
“Yes, I think it would be good for you to take it easy for a few weeks and allow your body time to heal. It’s not good for you to be so tired all the time.”
“Well, sign me up!” Hazel grinned.
On Christmas Eve, Hazel and Margo chatted over the phone. Margo thanked Hazel for the lovely cards and thoughtful gifts she had sent.
“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you – and elderly care – that caregiver was phenomenal!” Hazel cried. “You know, I didn’t realize how much energy I was spending on cleaning up the house. With her help, I felt so much better than I even knew I could! In fact, I want to have her continue coming to help out with housework and errands. It was wonderful shopping with her! She was a lot of fun, and she helped me in and out of the car so nicely! She pushed the cart and did all the carrying. Having her help took all the trouble out of the process! I don’t think I’ve had so much fun doing my Christmas cards and gifts in years!”
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712463/
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring elderly care in Mesa, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!