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Caring for an elderly parent: sometimes it is all about making the right decisions at the right time.

• Posted on Aug 11, 2022

A father is often his daughter’s first source of strength, comfort, safety, and stability. As life evolves and transforms so does this type of relationship, and with age, many daughters find themselves serving in a ‘parenting’ role for their fathers. Sandy K. shares her story about making the right decision to get her dad, Joseph, back on his feet.

• What was it like caring for your dad before you had care service?
  • It was very stressful caring for my dad. He lives close to an hour away from me-between my work schedule and taking care of two very young children I can’t always get to him with the frequency and speed that we would both like. I worry about him frequently and wish he was closer.

• What challenges was your dad facing?
  • My Dad lives alone and has close to 20 stairs to climb to go to his apartment. He’s been having an increase in balance issues and falls which leads to him not getting out as much as he should. He’s also not a great cook or a fan of cooking and has lost a significant amount of weight. We have a family history of cognitive impairment and those issues have started to become more noticeable.

• Was your dad discharged from the hospital to short-term rehab?
  • Yes! The team at the hospital had provided me with a list of rehabs near the hospital but they weren’t convenient for me or my dad as I am the primary caregiver. Germantown Home is walking distance from my house; I did my research and knew they were 5 stars in quality so I had to advocate for this location. I was able to visit my dad every day and bring him his coffee from Wawa. By about day 3 I remembered how to fix it exactly how he likes it!

• Did you see changes in your dad’s mobility after rehab? How so?
  • Yes. He has better instincts and knows when he needs to use a cane or not. Before he was very proud about not wanting to use it and it contributed to his falls. He gained 6 pounds in rehab which he’s very proud of-he had been bothered about his weight loss for some time now!

• What is your dad’s long-term care plan?
  • After rehab, he returned home to his old apartment with home care from AccentCare 3 days a week. He had a wound that developed in the hospital and was seen and monitored by Bridges Palliative & Wound Care. Most recently, we moved my dad to a new apartment that is a mile from me and he loves it!

• How is your dad doing today?
  • My dad had a follow-up visit with his surgeon. He had noted if my dad had any further decline he would like him to go back to rehab. My dad said “if that happens, I want to go back to Germantown Home! The food was great and all of the nurses were so nice.”

Joseph celebrated his 77th birthday this month and we are so happy to see he is doing great!