What's Your Care Option?

I’m sitting under a perfect San Diego sky watching the flow of the current in the lagoon across the way. I’m watching the flow of traffic on the hillside beyond the lagoon. I’m basking in the late afternoon sun, and I’m thinking about elder care.

Yes, I said elder care.

Health care reform, whatever that means today, flitted across my mind for a moment. I’ll find out what that is now when I check the news later…until it changes…again. The definition of elder care doesn’t change, though.

Elder care means taking care of an older person. Period.

There are a lot of ways that care may be provided, and different people may be doing the providing, but the basic definition doesn’t change. The fact is, many of us who live to be older may eventually require some kind of care. Those of us who have older parents may eventually have to provide some kind of care.

Are we thinking about elder care?

My parents are both deceased as is the older aunt I cared for. I don’t think much about elder care in that respect. My only child is headed toward 14. To be honest, I’m sure he thinks he’s providing elder care every time he brings me a glass of water. I don’t believe he’s thought about elder care much beyond that.

The main reason I’m thinking of elder care right now is that it’s my business. I’ve been there, done that, and got the T-shirt. There’s a random thought: If there were a T-shirt, what would it “say”? Anyway, I know the possibilities but I don’t feel like I need to think about elder care for myself yet.

Is the same true for you? Have you given elder care any thought? Do you have a plan? Does anybody know what your plan is?