This month’s Ask Coach Kathy focuses on my own experience of growing older together in a relationship.
As a relationship ages, so do the two people in it! My husband is 73 years old and I’m 62, and we’ve been married for 35 years.
A couple of years ago, we decided to join an aging-in-place organization called Kendal at Home. This organization has a brick and mortar location in Oberlin, Ohio. However, for those people who want to stay in their homes, they offer assistance to allow that to happen.
This is NOT a commercial for this organization, however, I think there is value in sharing my experience with you.
So, some of you may remember me sending out a newsletter saying that I had an accident in the autumn of 2017. I had fallen and broken both of my my wrists and my left kneecap. I had surgery on all three 10 days after the fall. Visualize not being able to use both hands for 8 weeks… humbling to say the least.
Here’s the kicker … one week before the accident, my husband and I had signed the papers to join Kendal at Home – talk about timing! The following 3 months were hard on our relationship. Dick was a wonderful caregiver, but he was able to be so wonderful because he had the help of a care coordinator and caregivers.
I tell this story to say that it is important to take care of not only ourselves as we age, but do what we can to take the stress off of our relationship in preparation for aging. If we hadn’t had the help of Kendal, can you imagine how much stress would have been put on my dear husband and on our marriage??
It might not be a bad idea to have the “How do we want to age?” conversation. None of us relish talking about getting older, but getting caught off-guard is worse!
My husband and I were filmed last month for a promotional video for Kendal to tell our story of my fall. If anyone is interested in seeing the clip, please let me know and I’d be happy to send you the link to the interview.
Do you have sensitive issues in your relationships that you need help with? Ask Coach Kathy about it. Submit your question below.
Early in our marriage David & I bought long-term care insurance . I thought it would be for me, but it ended up David needed it. When he had medical issues, he got 24/7 care at home. When he passed away, I no longer had to pay my insurance premiums and my coverage is now secure. Of course since then the insurance companies got wise and I don’t think our kind of coverage is available.