Walking With Mum and Dad.....Introduction

Mum and Dad celebrating their 63rd Wedding Anniversary on 23rd May 2012

a simple dinner for the family

pork chops

potato, carrot, sweet potato mash

brussels sprouts,capsicum,mushroom stir fry

pumpkin, celery soup

OURS

DAD'S

MUM'S

It was a quiet anniversary. These days Mum and Dad are happy to just stay home sans the pandemonium (in their eyes at least) of parties. Our meal that day was a poignant reminder of how time has flown by.

Mum and Dad came to live with me in 2001 after Mum was hospitalised for almost fatal septecaemia. At that time I was starting to fulfil my permanent residency requirements for New Zealand which I had to do for the next 3 years. Mum was diagnosed with dementia around 2008.

And talk about being prepared. In NZ I had the priviledge of being among friends and family steeped in holistic healing, chi qong and ate fresh, often organic food. On my trips back home, I started ensuring Mum and Dad had a Rainbow Diet as well as taking specific vitamins to help build up their immune systems.

My approach to elderly care slowly evolved to include

• ensuring an optimal Immune System
• acknowledging, accepting and coping with Aging Parents including dealing with dementia
• planning targeted menus so my parents had nourishing meals
• developing an organised recording system so we could better managed my parents routine including the ability to instinctively know their needs from trends

In 2006, Dad contracted Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and was cared for by the folks at the National University Hospital where he had chemotherapy. He was an in patient (dad was 86 and the doctors were afraid of the consequences of chemo on an elderly patient) and after he completed his chemo, his oncologist voted him the "best patient" he ever had. Dad had an unbelievably positive attitude to his illness and coped really well during the chemo. I did not tell Dad that he had cancer and the doctors co-operated by referring to his chemo as his medication. Till today I still wonder if Dad ever knew as he did lose all his hair and how powerful the human brain is in transcending trauma. Sometimes miracles do happen....for the care giver!

These days Mum and Dad have settled into a routine. My future posts will share more information on my holistic approach to Elderly care.