Teenage Tips on Eldercare

by Kavan Peterson, Editor, ChangingAging.org

This guest-post at ElderCareLink from 13-year-old Katie Price is a gem:

Since I am only 13 I can’t imagine taking care of my parents. Not while they are the rulers of the house and if I want something I must earn it from them. But they will get old someday. Before doing anything I would consider the severity of the symptoms and ask if they would both need treatment or not. If they started:

1. Getting arthritis and unable to move very well, I could get them a trained monkey or a robot to help them do their chores.
2. Going blind, I could get them some glasses, laser eye surgery (if I become a millionaire, or a several thousand-aire,) there is the possibility of a seeing-eye dog or in the future they could possibly get eye implants.
3. Having hearing loss, I would get them medical attention and get hearing aids if necessary. Depending on the severity of the hearing loss I would make an effort to learn sign language and teach it to them so that they could communicate.
4. To have trouble living on their own, I would get them some medical alarms, hire a maid to help them, or work hard to convince them to go to a nursing home or an elderly home (again, if I become a millionaire.)
5. To become diabetic, I would make sure that they are taking the right medication and I would find a decent brand of sugar free sweets.
6. To get cancer, I would help to pay for surgery to remove it and care afterwards, or I would help to pay for and cope with chemotherapy (in this case I would also buy them some decent wigs to go out in public with.)
7. To get dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, I would put them in a nursing home with 24/7 care, get proper medical help, and visit them regularly and encourage other close relatives or friends to visit them too.

Katie concludes:

I know that there are many other things that happen when people get old. I just don’t know them all. These are just some of the things that could happen. After all I don’t know what my parents will be like when we get older. But the most important thing would be to visit them regularly and continue a close relationship.

I think Katie’s parents are extremely lucky (possibly excepting the trained monkey bit =). Read the full post here.