I’m thinking and praying about my family this morning. My Aunt Pat is moving to an Assisted Living Facility called Maplewood, in my home town of Darien, CT. As luck would have it, I’m returning to my home town in August for my 45th (I can’t believe it either) High School Reunion. I’m staying with my cousin Dick who has recently retired and has taken on the role of primary caregiver for my Aunt. Aunt Pat is the sole surviving sibling of my mother and the last member of our family of that generation. She is the youngest of 5 and is in her nineties now (I’m not sure of the exact year and either is she but I’m sure Dick can tell you) :-)! Anyway, she is going to visit her new home today with my cousin to get the “lay of the land” so to speak and then the physical move is the 15th of this month. It will be great that I’ll be able to visit with her while I’m up there in August – so that is wonderful. I so appreciate the hard work and stress that goes into such a move. So many deep concerns and so much fear. It won’t be easy, but I pray that things go well and that Aunt Pat will grow to appreciate the help she will be receiving. I work in an environment like Maplewood at Moorings Park. I see this transition everyday and how it impacts families. Some work through it positively, some don’t. It’s always stressful and takes a toll on the family.
Here is a picture of Aunt Pat (on the left), my mom and Aunt Peg on the right – and of course me as a youngster :-)!
