If You Can Face It, I Can Face It!

“Are you ready for this?”

My client was continuing a game we love to play together: I call to remind her of my appointment to help her with her calendar, the mail, the bills, the taxes, the doctor’s appointments.  She warns me, tongue firmly in cheek, of the chaos that will greet me when I arrive.  I assure her that I relish a challenge!

Today she added cheerily: “If you can face it, I can face it.”

That statement struck me.  “If you can face it, I can face it.”  I think that is part of what makes our geriatric care management not only effective, but personally rewarding. Life becomes a shared project, and the collaboration brings joy and intimacy back into our lives.

I constantly remind my clients of the contributions they bring to my life.  They make me feel productive!  They make me feel that I am making a difference!  They make me feel close to them.  They make my life worthwhile.

I’m inspired by what my clients face every day, and the pluck with which they confront it. Once I was dodging my own doctor’s appointment to discuss a minor surgery that had been recommended.  When I told a client that I was squirming, she said “What’s the big deal?  Go to the doctor, listen to what he says, then make your choice.”  Right on.  She did that all the time, in her eighties, with health problems far more serious than mine.  If she could face it, I could face it. And by golly, I did.

For more articles like this, see: Aging in Place, Long Distance Caregiving, Communicating with Senior Citizens.

Know someone who worries about their elderly parent in Charlottesville, Staunton, or Harrisonburg Virginia? Care is There Geriatric Care Management can help! Have them contact me, Elizabeth, for a free consultation: 434.326.5323ext 2 or Elizabeth@careisthere.com.

For more information about our services, and to read testimonials from our clients, visit our website. Also, view this short video about our care management services. Elizabeth Swider, Certified Senior Advisor and Certified Aging in Place Specialist President, Care is There Geriatric Care Management Support for independent living and long distance caregiving; assisted living enhancement