After a lifetime spent in collecting and sewing clothes for antique dolls, Millie knew she had to downsize. At 77, Millie planned to spend the rest of her days enjoying her comfortable ranch house, which she had outfitted with a walk-in tub, ramps next to all the stairs, and a wire-trigger security system she had installed after Christmas. Millie’s senior caregiver, Helen, made her life at home possible by helping her with laundry and housework, running errands, fetching letters from the mailbox, and helping Millie organize her doll collection so that the more valuable items could be photographed and sold online.
“I can’t put this responsibility on my daughter,” Millie decided a few years ago. “I have start sorting, pricing, and putting the best of my dolls on
Caregiver Fort Bend, TX: Seniors and Downsizing
eBay.”
Mille found the perfect caregiver in Helen, who was young, tall, and able to reach boxes of antique dolls with all their dresses, shoes, and wigs. The task was all but overwhelming. But over a period of two or three years, most of the better items have been photographed, sold, and shipped all over the world with a handwritten message from Millie.
“What do you need a home caregiver for, Mom,” Millie’s daughter wanted to know. “You don’t have time to deal with my stuff,” Millie answered. “Helen works hard for me. She’s my friend. We talk.”
Helen’s work is not confined to lifting and sorting boxes or tossing a salad for lunch. She does for Millie what her out-of-town adult children cannot do. She copies the addresses of those who purchase Millie’s dolls, wraps the goods, and sends them to their new keeper. Helen also takes time to listen as Millie tells about her early years in Texas, her first sweetheart, her career as a secretary for the Air Force, and her new doctor’s concern about the lack of calcium in her diet.
Like many elderly women, Millie lives alone. Many friends her age have died, or they live where they choose all over the world, in Mexico City, in rural Vermont, and Orlando, Florida. Mille talks with them on her smart phone and chats with them on Facebook. She argues with friends who do not share her political views and spends hours browsing antique websites. She consoles those whose health is failing or who are grieving terrible losses. Millie is as mentally alert as ever, but she has physical limitations. Not everyone who knows her now can see past her infirmities, but Helen can.
“Oh, I hate to see this one go,” Millie says of her curly-topped Shirley Temple doll.
“She’s beautiful! Tell me about Shirley,” Helen replies as she gently lifts a three-foot-tall cherub with ringlets out of her packing wrap.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering a caregiver in Fort Bend, TX please contact the caring staff at Viv Health Care Services today at. (832) 871-4223
https://www.lifestorage.com/blog/moving/downsizing-for-seniors/