I don't claim to be an expert at all on caring for the elderly; it was only a few weeks at a time I came down to help my sister care for my mother, and I know I only scratched the surface of what many do 24 hours a day for years. They have my utter respect. This is just one thot from a short visit, when my stepmother was in the in-between stage just before full Alzheimer set in:
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On a good day, my stepmother could show you how to take apart clothing at the seams and put it back together after adding carefully measured and cut cloth to them for specific purposes. She easily displayed expert skills from her seamstress school days. And she didn't need to be reminded of anything, was just fine if you left her alone, she let you know. But the very next day, she would look at you with a bewildered expression if asked to perform the simplest tasks and whimper,
"You know I can't do anything by myself!"
I remember never knowing which person I would be greeting in the morning; God would probably have to give me a different wisdom for that day. Altho' I knew the Bible said:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men liberally,...and it will be given him" (Jas.1:5)
It's not just for caregiving. I think anytime God's children can't see anything but walls in front of them and don't know what to do, we're to ask God. It's like calling UP for directions. God points His remote control earthward and sends impulses of his wisdom. When to make what turns or what words to say when, etc. The issue is to OBEY the Holy Spirit who carries those impulses to us so we can navigate the maze best. From His vantagepoint, He sees into the hearts we cannot reach; He can change circumstances we cannot touch; it only makes sense to follow His signals.
It's not just for caretaking, but it sure helped. Hats off to all those giving their lives to honor family in this way. God's richest blessings on your labor of love.
