Family Caring

 This guest post is from Briana Dame, Regent Law 3L:

From a young age I learned the importance of caring for the elderly and how critical it is to demonstrate patience and compassion. My maternal grandmother had a devastating stroke when I was still in grade school. She fortunately lived for years beyond her stroke. However, due to a verbal comprehension problem in order to communicate with her throughout the rest of her life I learned how to speak slowly when talking and write things down on a paper so she could see the words.

Three of my four grandparents live or have lived in facilities for the elderly. I am a firm believer that it is important to create the best quality of life possible in these environments. Assisted living is one type of care for the elderly, one which all three of my grandparents have experienced.  A Place for Mom lists assisted living statistics—according to an article updated in April of 2022: “More than 810,000 Americans currently reside in assisted living communities, accounting for 88% of all senior residential care community residents.” Additionally, “With 7 out of 10 people requiring assisted living care in their lifetime, demand is expected to grow by an additional one million beds by 2040.” With this projected increase in mind, it is important to think about what quality of care we want to promote for not only our loved ones, but for elderly members of society at large.

Elder care and treatment that incorporates compassion and attentive care for the unique needs of each resident is critical. Additionally, environments that foster community and activity when appropriate and feasible should be promoted. I certainly have not always been perfect about communicating or visiting grandparents. None of us will be. I reflect though on the joy my grandma who is still living in a facility always has when I call her just to talk about life. Not everyone has this relationship with their grandparents, and I am not saying everyone needs to pick up the phone and call their grandmother or grandfather. It does however make me think about how even the smallest thing like a phone call, a friendly word, or human interaction can light up someone’s life. We should celebrate, love, and include the elderly members of our population whenever we can. I think about how I would like to be treated as an elderly woman. I hope and pray if I reach that age in my life that I am surrounded with a loving community. I encourage each of us to foster love, compassion, and patience with not only the elderly members of society, but everyone we meet.

“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14