Mom did NOT want to move!
When talking to an elderly parent, listen closely and give them your full attention. Don’t start thinking about what you are going to say until they are finished speaking. Ask questions to show you understand and support them. Acknowledge and accept their feelings, and give realistic feedback on what you are capable of to help them.
- Listen Openly: Caroline shows that her mom values what she had to say. Even when mom did not.
- Respond With Understanding: Caroline’s responses showed respect and also conveys her support.
- Validate Their Emotions: It is tough to not agree yet acknowledge and accept your parents feelings. Caroline shows us what this looks like.
- Give Realistic Feedback: Let them know what you CAN do to help them. Sometimes this means we take a step back and pause the conversation. I love how Caroline demonstrates this in her article.
Our loved ones deserve love at any age. That beautiful feeling of brightening, joy and sunshine. Love can happen at any age even to those of us who refuse to believe in it.
Caroline Leavitt’s mother was not so loving toward Caroline. She did not believe in love with a man. However Caroline’s’ mom transformed, at 93, when she reluctantly, moved out of her home and into Senior Independent Living near me Facility. Caroline wrote an engaging article for Psychology Today about her mother, in Senior Living, who did not believe in love. That is how it was, until she and Walter found each other. Then the stagnate phrase “it is what it is” transformed into a kinetic phrase filled with possibilities and hope “it is what YOU make it”. Thanks to the Power of Love.
During dinner one evening on new years day a handsome man also a resident in the same Senior Living Facility entered mom’s life. Caroline had done here best. She is a respectful caregiver. Filled with empathy for her loved ones. Caroline as her mothers caregiver recounts the many attributes of empathy in her article modeling respectful caregiving.
Only four months after mom moved to the new facility a handsome man sat next to her during dinner. He was kind, warm and really smart. He was in his 80s. She asked him if he was going to the New Year’s Eve Party that night. “No,” and Caroline’s mother jumps in. “Then I’ll have to kiss you at midnight right now,”
They fall in love. A deep love. They have joyful years together, spending time talking, laughing and sharing each meal together. This is a heartwarming and inspiring story! Caroline focuses on the character development of her senior mom, exploring her past experiences and reasons for not believing in love. The setting of an Independent Living Facility provides a charming and communal backdrop. She meets someone who unexpectedly changes her perspective. Her family witnessing this transformation adds a layer of emotional depth, highlighting the joy and new lease on life she experiences and helps others also experience.
Caroline’s story explores themes of love at any age! Even as we age the importance of companionship as it touches all lives around us is evident. The power of love fosters unexpected connections in every relationship! That’s the power of love felt throughout generations. It is more than a feeling; it changes the depth of Caroline’s relationship with her mom and it transformed their relationship nearly overnight.
Thank you Caroline Leavittt, for your hard work and clearly demonstrating respectful caregiving. We placement specialists at A Graceful Transition, salute you for your loving determination to persist in loving your mom through the tough times.
