I often get frustrated with myself and the industry I’m in because by and large, when we are trying to get people to pay attention to the issue of caregiving, eldercare or LTC (use whatever name you want) most of us still fall into the “warning-warning” or “doom and gloom” rhetoric. The reality is, as strange as this sounds, there has never been a better time to have a disability, need care or a little extra help. The alternatives available today are amazing.

Flash back 30 years…my Great Aunt Kate was one of the most fun loving, joyous people I have ever known. Anyone that knew her said this of her. However, somewhere around 45 she developed a problem so that she was confined to a wheelchair or used dual walking canes for the rest of her long life. She lived to be 92. She was lucky enough to have a large extended family that helped and engaged her. She lived alone for part of her life and since my grandfather had built ramps around her house, she could get around pretty well, even out to the backyard or garage when she needed to. I remember her baby-sitting me solo for a weekend or two. So not bad for quality of life 30 years ago, but she still depended on others for transportation or anything major.

But today she would have her own wheelchair accessible van with hand-controls where she did the driving, a motorized scooter or motorized wheelchair, chair lifts, shower benches and an entire house retrofitted giving her the ability to cook anything she wanted and access to the top shelves in her kitchen improving the quality and safety of her life. She was gregarious and smart so she darn sure would have had a computer connected to the internet and had friends all over the world via email, chats and discussion groups. How I wish she was alive and needing a little support these days, because today, she wouldn’t have needed us at all and in fact today we probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with her.

The choices, aids and information available today to support us when we or someone we know needs a little or a lot of extra help are absolutely amazing. We owe it to each other to explore these options, become informed and become an advocate with a “positive bent” vs. the “warning-warning” we often use to capture people’s attention. Let’s be upbeat and positive about this event that many of us will face because today this change in life doesn’t have to affect the quality of our life.

More Resources Available at AGIS.com:
Caregiving Resources
Local Services
Support Services

Filed under: AGIS, Caregiving, Resources