My article today is about caring for our parents. Or caring for ourselves as we age. You may be asking, “What does that have to do with pleasure and sensuality?” Essential to surrendering into your pleasure is peace of mind. Can you have great sex when you are worried about things, like an aging parent, a struggling child, or your unpaid bills? Of course you can, and you should, and I write about that a lot. The inspiration for this post came from the fact that a friend of mine is going through the transition of putting her mother in assisted living, specifically for memory loss and self-care issues. It’s not an easy process.
Simultaneously, I learned this week about two resources that can help you if you are going through something similar, and I thought they were so fantastic, I wanted to share about them. Let the record show, that this is not a “paid endorsement.” I’m not an affiliate of these providers, I simply want to help you to remove the obstacles to having great sex. It can be harder to orgasm, if you are worried that Dad isn’t taking his pills, or you are concerned that your sister has a very different approach to what should be done about Mom living alone. Or perhaps you are living alone, and would like more peace of mind. The following might be useful for you too…
First, the people side. Ruby Killelea is a trained psychotherapist, whose passion is helping families navigate the care of their aging family members. Via coaching, resource recommendation, and family mediation, she can help you navigate the emotionally charged waters to find a solution that works for everyone, from the parent to the caregivers. A long-time meditation practitioner and teacher, she brings a mindfulness and serenity to the process. You can contact Ruby via e-mail at ruby@miracle.org.
The other resource I just learned about, really blew my mind. It is a company called Simply Home. This company helps families implement customized technology that allows seniors to live at home, while monitoring the area of concerns that family members have, such as failure to take medication, or falls. Basically, this goes way beyond the old “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” system, star of commercials on the Game Show network. A home can be fitted with sensors that let you know if the stove has been left on over long, if the person has gotten out of bed late at night and not come back, or if they haven’t gotten up in the morning. Alerts can be sent to the family member, or a neighbor. A common problem is medication compliance. I saw a gadget that actually lets you know if you’ve forgotten to take your pills by having the system give you a phone call. It can also alert caregivers via phone, text or e-mail. I’ll be honest, Simply Home’s solutions are costly, but so are most of the “homes” that people move into late in life. And isn’t peace of mind priceless?
