10/21/2024
Today is my 61st birthday, a year closer to the time when I will need to transition from care provider to care receiver.
Hopefully, that transition is years away - the average age of our clients is in the high 70s. But until I began this journey with Home Helpers I had never considered a day would come when I would not be able to care for myself.
It is a scary thought, losing the ability to be independent and becoming increasing dependent on others for basic needs. No wants to be a burden to their family, and no one wants to be cared for by "strangers." No anyone who has lived a rich and independent life for six or seven or eight decades, anyway.
It is made a little less scary by knowing there are amazing, selfless caregivers who will look after them - someday look after me - as they would one of their own family.
I'm mindful of that feeling every time I consult with a new client. I'm only there because they have run out of better options for themselves.
Yet, I take comfort and even pride in knowing that within a week or two after our caregivers start working with them, for most their perspective will change dramatically. They will genuinely look forward to seeing their caregiver. They wont be able to imagine life without her or him. They will ask me, how do I find such people. I will confess, God makes them, I just have to recognize them.
So 61st birthday to me today. And thank God for all the amazing caregivers who make aging at home possible and even enjoyable.
