Grieving the loss of a parent is more than difficult, and seeing your living parent live
alone can also be hard. Many times, your living parent is still able to take care of him or herself and moving into an assisted living center is out of the question.
In a situation like this, it may become a responsibility of yours to
help keep your parent active. With the hustle and bustle of your own life, including children and work, this can be a very difficult task and much guilt may start to arise.
It is important to remember that as it is necessary to help keep your parent involved and active, they still respectfully want space and want you to continue enjoying life. Below is a list of ways to find a happy medium, help your parent stay active without it becoming too much in your own life.
Find out what interests they have. Possibly your parent likes to play cards or bingo. In that case, find a senior living group that provides these activities.
- Sign up for water exercise. Many local exercise facilities have water exercise, which is a fabulous way to meet people and great for your health!
- Gardening can be a family affair. Everyone loves to be outside in the fresh air. Gardening can be dangerous, as your parent ages, so help out, start a
small garden and make it easy to maintain. - Send crafts and cards from the kids! Parents (grandparents) love this! Even if home, a sweet card in the mail will brighten their day.
- Help them join a breakfast group. There is nothing better than starting the day chatting with a group of friends over a cup of coffee. This is very popular among
seniors, and in most local diners you will find groups of seniors that are ready for more! - Include them on family vacations. If you are taking yourself and/or the kids somewhere fun, let your parent come along! This may sound stressful, and isn’t always the best idea when traveling. However, if you decide to do this, chose a resort that has activities for all ages.
- Make a memory book. Collect pictures and anything else of importance and create a scrapbook for your parent. The enjoyable memories can be used for lifelong entertainment.
- Find a friend. Love ones that live close would be more than happy to stop in and say hello. Don’t be afraid to ask those around you to be aware that your parent is alone and a quick visit or phone call would be much appreciated by all.
- Call. Parents love to hear from their children. Make sure to make that important phone call whenever you can, and keep them well informed as to what is going on in the family’s life. Make sure to say, “I love you” and find out if there is anything he/she may need.
Sometimes it is easy to continue life and forget how important it is to be there for a parent that is alone. Remind yourself of all they have done for you through the years and embrace them in these years when they need you most.