Here’s Why I Wish I’d Hired Home Care Sooner

Here’s Why I Wish I’d Hired Home Care Sooner

It was the collection of little things that constantly nagged at Sacha as she and her siblings struggled to care for their ailing mother.

Who was going to be able to make the 30-minute, one-way drive to her mom’s house to administer her eye drops? When was the last time she showered? Had she soiled herself and did her laundry need to be done?

And then came the impossible choices: Attend her son’s sporting event or run an errand for her mom, who continued to live independently in her own home? there was never a right decision.

Her mom, Netty, passed away recently at 87.

But for years, Sacha and her siblings were among more than 34 million Americans who provided unpaid care for a friend or loved one, according to a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/elcare.nr0.htm) And as the U.S. population continues to age experts say the need for caregiving will balloon.

And if Sacha has one piece of advice for those in her place: “Do not wait to get a caregiver to help.”

“The relief of knowing that your mother is taken care of when you can’t do it, it was really a relief to all of us,” she says. “There was just peace of mind, and I wish I had done it earlier.”

“You always worry about the money, sure,” she added. “But there is no price tag for your peace of mind or your loved one’s comfort.”

Sandwiched Generation is Smashed

The strain on her and her siblings intensified when her mother turned 75 and had to stop driving.

The occasional trip here or there to help quickly turned into more frequent stops and errand-running. Her mom, who had a pacemaker, had to visit the cardiologist every other week. Her blood had to be tested. And over the years, she became incontinent and Sacha worried about her cleanliness.

And while a half-hour drive doesn’t sound like a lot, it added up in time and stress as Sacha worked to balance the demands of a full-time job and being a full-time mom with sons who were active in school, sports, band and their church. That doesn’t even account for her activities or being a wife. To top it off, she also had a 45-minute, one-way commute to her own job that was as far north as her mom’s home was south.

Even with the support of siblings, the dueling responsibilities created stress.