Bringing Mom and Dad Home: Rewards of Caring For Elderly Parents

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Story by Gloria V.

“My husband and I are both caring for his elderly parents who now live with us. My mother-in-law has numerous health issues, including dementia, diabetes and congestive heart failure. My father-in-law has advanced Alzheimer’s. They have been with us for approximately two years, ever since we realized something was drastically wrong in their household and they could no longer care for themselves. So, we have taken over and you could say, “we have become the parents.”

It was a pretty rough period of adjustment at first when they moved in with us and even now, we sometimes go through a rough period or two, but we would not change a thing at this point in time. They are in a loving, caring, understanding environment; we see to all their medical needs, take care of any financial situations they may encounter and also take them on outings and on week-long vacations with us whenever possible. Recently, we made arrangements for occasional respite for ourselves so that we will be able to continue to give them top priority in our lives, which is what they deserve right now.

All in all, I would say that caring for my in-laws has proven thus far, to be a very rewarding experience. It feels good to give of yourself, especially when the need is so great. We have the satisfaction of knowing that Mom and Pop feel secure and comfortable in our home because we have let them know it is their home, too for as long as we can take care of them. We know they are fed properly and given their medications on time and are neat and clean always. And we will take care of them as long as we can do so. There is no question about it; that’s just the way it is.

With us, family will always come first. They need us, so we are there for them. And they know that.”

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