“Observing my parents abilities decrease over time was one of the hardest things I ever had to experience.”
Nancy is an entrepreneur and lives in New York with her husband and children. Her parents lived in Michigan, Detroit. Her father had a stroke. For the first time, her mother had to start handling the finances. Nancy and her siblings had to make frequent trips to Detroit. It was crippling to experience her father not being able to button his shirt.
Her sibling’s efforts to encourage their parents to move closer originally fell on deaf ears. After all, no one wants to leave their home. Nancy and her siblings wanted to give their parents the best life possible, but this required her parents downsize and relocate to Connecticut. Efforts were underway to find an apartment and auction their current house.
As those confronted with a similar challenge know to observe your parents’ abilities decrease over time is one of the hardest things to experience. Nancy endured a emotional roller coaster. Her parents refused to relocate. She became stressed and was unable to sleep. To compound things, her husband needed spinal surgery a month after her father’s stroke.
“I was so scared, worried, and emotionally drained.”
While she was aiding her husband’s recovery from surgery, her father had been placed in a nursing home. This meant her mother was at home alone. Every time the family connected they talked, prayed, and cried. She was so scared, worried, and emotionally drained.
Fortunately, her parents made the decision to move to a smaller place that Nancy’s mother fell in love with. Her parent’s former home will be sold.
“Even in my family, not everyone feels the same as I do about change.”
Nancy usually does not have a problem with change. She grew up in the travel industry and her father traveled a lot. She does realize, even in her family, not everyone feels the same as she does about change.
Nancy L. was interviewed for the ASPECTS OF CHANGE book and consented to share her experience. Many things have changed since the interview.