If you are married or have a significant other, then you understand how important it is to spend time with your person. Elderly couples want to be with their better half, too, but unfortunately, they can often face a challenge when a health crisis occurs in staying together. This is an aspect of aging that is rarely talked about, but one that suddenly becomes very important when this arises.
On average, women in the U.S. tend to live five years longer than men. That means that there are a lot of older women out there that are without husbands. But this doesn’t necessarily have a bearing on the need for senior care. Senior care is more about health and ability levels. Men might tend to experience this decline a little sooner than women, but again, that doesn’t mean that both portions of a couple will need help separately.
But in reality, this happens pretty often. If there is a desire to make it happen, the financial aspects work out okay, and the correct resources are in your community, it is likely to be an option for your older parents. However, like many other aspects of care, your success depends on beginning your search process before care is ever needed.
Another phenomenon that is often seen is that married couples have a high rate of passing away within a close timeframe of each other. The reasons why this happens are not quite clear–researchers have come to the realization that love plays a huge role in both our mental and physical health, though. But one of the deeper implications is that both partners will likely need care as their health declines.
Unfortunately, it’s something that isn’t talked about enough. We tend to think that this is what spouses do. If one person needs help, his or her significant other will help. We fail to take into account that this person might need help in the near future, too.
I’m guilty of this line of thought. If you are a long time reader of the blog, then you will notice that I often refer to “your elderly loved one.” Not the plural “loved ones.” I typically use the singular.
What should we do about it? Luckily, there are a few good answers out there. When it comes to private sector senior care, there tends to be a lot more freedom to place couples together. This is true of both the nursing home setting and assisted living. It’s also true when it comes to in-home care. A caregiver can come into the home and provide assistance for both people in need.
If you’d like to talk more about how in-home care, or senior care in general, can help you, or older parents, please feel free to reach out. There are lots of options when it comes to care, and we’d love to be considered as one of them. Whether you’re looking for advice, have questions, or just don’t know where to start, our professional caregivers are a wealth of information that can help point you in the right direction.
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