Beech Tree News Network

I am sure you’ve heard or read about our “aging population” trends.  Population aging occurs when the median age of a country or region rises. This usually happens because of rising life expectancy and/or declining birth rates.

During 2012, America's 50 and older population is predicted to reach 100 million. Someone turns 50 every 8 seconds. Researchers also predict that if a person reaches 65, he or she may expect to live almost 19 more years (http://assistedliving.about.com/od/startingabusiness/a/agingtrends.htm). Living-arrangement choices for the elderly can be very difficult – not just for the elderly, but for the family as well. Overall, according to AARP, nine of 10 seniors prefer to grow old in their own homes – a challenge for some.

As many of you may remember, multi-generational family living was common a few decades back. Often, when I was growing up, great-grandparents might live with grandparents or grandparents might live with parents. In my family, my grandmother’s parents lived with my grandparents and my grandfather’s mother lived next door. This was a good solution for everyone.

More recently, nursing homes have been a great help to families. When my grandmother needed assistance in caring for my grandfather, he came to the Morgantown facility, and my grandmother stayed with us. I was blessed to be able to see my grandfather every day and to be able to help my grandmother during that time.

Many older people have in-home assistance; these services are also a great help. When in-home assistance is not available, another solution must be found. In June of 2009, my mom had surgery and then stayed in Louisville with my brother for a couple of weeks to recover. While Mom was gone and a few weeks after her return, family members rotated staying with my dad, then with both parents.  A few weeks later, on August 4th, my dad died. Since then, my siblings and I have often mentioned how thankful we are to have had the additional time that summer with Dad before his death.

Recently, a friend spoke of caring for her 88-year-old mother. The daughter built on to her home so that her mom could move in with her. My friend’s mother has health problems that prevent her from staying alone. So, when my friend leaves, someone else must be there to stay with her mother. Thankfully, they have found people to come to their home on an as-needed basis.

Aging brings both challenges and blessings. The Bible teaches us to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16; Matthew 15:4, 19:19; Ephesians 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20) and to care for family (1 Timothy 5:4). Someone once said, “Everybody wants to live a long time, but nobody wants to get old.” As my late husband used to say, “Every day you wake up is a good day.”