I knew that Dad's discharge meeting was scheduled and figured they'd ask him where he wanted to go. Remembering the ordeal we had at the hospital where he wouldn't tell me or the social worker what he wanted to do, I had a plan!
I taped two different rows of three sheets of typing paper together horizontally. On the left sheet, I wrote how much it would cost for Dad to stay in the nursing home and share the room ($4,710). The middle sheet had how much it would cost to stay in an Veteran's Home and the far right sheet had how much it would cost him if he stayed with us ($0 a month).
My dad is someone who tries to be very involved in his finances. I was sure that he would chose moving back in with us after he realized it cost him nothing, but I was wrong. I couldn't figure it out and was beside myself, but needed to respect my dad's wishes. It didn't make any sense to me and I was depressed afterward. I emailed a couple of friends, because I couldn't bear the anguish in having to tell them that my dad chose to live elsewhere.
That's when God showed His hand through those special friends who gave me a different perspective. They shared with me that my dad may have been feeling like he was sparing me. He knew I had a bad back and it became almost impossible to lift him by myself and my husband wasn't always there. Additionally, he didn't like his daughter changing his disposable undergarments, it was a privacy thing. After being prayerful about some of these things God shared through my friends, it made sense to me in a totally different way. Although it still brings tears to my eyes when I think of how hurt I was that he chose not to move in with us, it doesn't hurt so bad because he was doing it out of love.
It did make me realize that I needed to check things out more before I went to the discharge meeting, because my husband didn't want Dad to go to the Veteran's home that was an hour away in a big city. My husband and I got on the computer and made calls and figured that his going to an Assisted Living facility was worth checking in to.
Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.
I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.
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Caregiving Video: App Helps Track Medications for Elderly Parents
By: Health Check News 12, Kathleen Stuck and Mary, Home Instead Senior Care, twelvedotv via You Tube
