She deserves the best. And I'm confident that it's out there, waiting for us. But where, oh where...? Entrusting the wellbeing of someone you love into a stranger's hands can never be easy. Mothers experience this, I know, whenever they leave their child in the care of someone else. But particularly when they do this for the first time.
Children, I have recently found, can experience a parallel and equally daunting process, when researching options for their ailing parents. Suddenly, the tables are turned, and it is hard to know where to start. I feel as though I have been on a very steep learning curve of late. One I did not foresee, seek, or particularly welcome.
There is, definitely, a shortage of information. It is a case of going in blind. I have read classified sections of seemingly appropriate publications. I have placed ads. Countless phone calls and quite a few meetings have ensued. Whilst all the time learning a new language, the pronunciation of which befuddles me.
This is not a road I've been down before. And, were there any choice in the matter, we wouldn't be crawling down it now, or anytime. It's one of the hardest paths I've come across.
First and foremost, the care I am seeking to put in place is about safety. But comfort and dignity are a close second place. Trouble is, it's far from straightforward second guessing what the recipient of this elaborate package would wish: we never had the conversation in its entirety, and now it seems as though we're too late.
To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours. Tia Walker
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