Caring For the Elderly

I knew it was coming.  Anyone with elderly parents knows that there will come a day when we will have to provide some sort of care to our parents.  My 84 year old Mom recently fell a couple of times in her home.  When she got to the hospital, the doctors decided to admit her.  They ran a bunch of tests and she was fine, but she was feeble and having a hard time walking.  They decided to put her in rehabilitation for about a week.  Dedo and I decided to make the drive to Fort Smith, Ark. to spend time with her and make sure everything was going well.

I thank God for doctor's and nurses that are trained to care for the sick. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in the hospital and the sickest get the attention.  My Mom is not sick, so she is not a top priority in their daily activities.  It takes family members to make sure our family members are kept a top priority.  The hospital in Fort Smith (Sparks Regional Hospital) is doing a great job, but we have to ask questions, attend meetings, call doctors, etc.  My Mom is doing great and should be out of rehabilitation on Wednesday.

God's timing is perfect.  I've lived by that promise all my adult life.  Even when I don't understand the present day circumstances, I've always looked back in the past to see evidence that God has always been perfect in His plan for my life.  Because I am in transition between jobs, I have the time to care for my Mom.  I am so thankful for that opportunity. I've enjoyed being with her. I've learned more about her than I knew.  I've witnessed her kindness to others and I'm encouraged by her love for people. Ive also enjoyed spending more time with my wife as we've traveled back and forth from Ft. Worth to Ft. Smith.  She treats my Mom like her Mom and for that I am grateful.

I know the future will hold more of these incidents.  I pray that God will protect my Mom and I am ready to do whatever needs to be done to protect and care for her.