Long-distance caregivers are more common than you think. Generally speaking, it’s common for seniors to live in one part of the country while their families live and work elsewhere. Regardless of what keeps you apart, caregiving can actually be more than doable by remembering these few tips.

Technology is your friend.

Technology has made the world smaller in many ways. With a plethora of electronic gadgets and internet connectivity available these days, it’s now so much easier to connect with loved ones from afar, making tech an invaluable resource when it comes to long-distance caregiving. Many devices like tablets are senior-friendly with easy-to-use interfaces and features like larger screens. These gadgets can then be leveraged in many ways, such as using video chat to check in on your senior loved ones’ well-being or even attend their medical appointments virtually.

As a bonus, there are countless deals on tablets from trusted brands like Apple, Lenovo, and Samsung (to name a few), making them great investments that won’t put a huge dent on your own household budget.

The Senior List suggests loading your loved one’s phone or tablet with some senior-friendly apps, like Pandora, Zoom, The Weather Channel, and MediSafe Medication Reminder. Thanks to some easily accessible tech, your loved one will have support and entertainment at his or her fingertips.

Help is available for those who ask for it.

Probably the biggest challenge of being a long-distance caregiver is not being physically present to take care of tasks. However, there are, of course, ways around such a hiccup. In fact, the National Institute on Aging points out that there are countless professionals in any given area that provide a plethora of #local">services, ranging from house cleaning to meal deliveries and so much more.

While you may not be around to keep a close eye on them, you can also keep tabs on them through neighbors, friends and even
tracking devices like location tracking or medical alert systems.

It goes without saying that it’s more than prudent to take advantage of these resources. Not only will this ensure that all your loved ones’ needs are taken care of, but alleviate your worries as well.

Your time is the greatest gift.

Last but definitely not least, the best gift you can give your loved ones is a simple one, and that is your time. This can also be a challenge with your own minutiae of daily living. It’s important to check in on your loved ones with a phone or video call to make sure that they are safe, comfortable, and healthy. Even more important is routinely visiting in person, not only to check on current conditions but also to provide the comfort of your presence.

You can give the gift of time in other ways, as well. You already do so when you research services that benefit them and care facilities, as well as when you educate yourself on their conditions and, by extension, repercussions. Ditto when you take care of their bills, sit-in on medical appointments, and the like.

Indeed, caregiving for a senior loved one from afar will be hard. However, the main thing you can do is to improvise and leverage the right resources. So bear these tips in mind to provide the right kind and amount of loving care to your senior wards—without putting an undue burden on yourself, too.

Photo via Pexels.com

When Michaeleen Doucleff met parents from around the world, she encountered millennia-old methods of raising good kids that made American parenting seem bizarre and ineffective......... read more

Goodbye to my sister
and my brother too,
for I will now leave you
in your own political stew.
Defend to the end,
what you seem to believe.
You are no longer family,
saying this now, when I leave.
Don't call tomorrow. Don't send a note,
unless it's to tell me now,
you have changed your vote.

This brain of mine,
is in a thick fog.
My thoughts, unclear.
Unsure of what to do
as the day approaches
where I won't be able
to care for you.

Oh the words, I would say to you
about all the things you do.
You cared for me, over the years.
Now I care for you
as your mind disappears .

I am here.
You are not.
Our children grown,
a love sought,
from each other,
during journey's life.
We are still
husband and wife.
My thoughts gone,
from my head.
A mental state,
I now dread,
seeing you allow,
here and now,
fills my heart,
with my vow,
of loving you,
is my joy
and I do
all this for
you to see
the better part
of older me.

Marriage, is not a Contact Sport.

I am not a recluse,
but maybe I should
be, with my head of wood,
for my sister, who I adore,
likes Trump, will be no more
on my mind, that's now for sure,
when you idolize and excuse
his behavior by words you choose.

Where do you go, every day?
You're not here, your far away.
What thoughts run through your head?
Watching TV, you'll ask of me,
"What did they say?"
I don't know if you can see
when you ask and it's on TV.
I do know that if I say," give me the remote",
you will pick up everything but
and ask, "Is this it?'
I can't imagine what I would do
if it was me, in that state,
instead of you.

I am now alone,
unlike the past.
No flowing discussion,
just wordy chaff.
No recollection of our daily drive.
No memory, stripped clear of thought.
She couldn't recall the food I bought
only minutes before,
but when I told her a fact,
she would come back
to the subject, asking about who
so I begin guessing, it's what I do.

Rid those of this disease you have,
for I abhor what I now see.
When you are in the "Sundowner Phase"
you ask many questions off the wall.
Questions that I know not at all.
"Do you remember that young man?"
I'll say, "I can't recall, unless
there are more specifics, for my guess".
I'll say, "Recently or long ago?"
She will say, "I don't know."

Forget me not, she spoke to me.
I ask questions for I have no memory.

He writes of love.
He writes of hate.
He writes of life.
He writes a date,
About all his worries
Of concerns in life,
And the slow demise
Of his lovely wife.

When you pound on the table
with your left and right hand,
are you striving for attention
as I don't understand?

Clothes are strewn every where
across the bed, upon the chair.
Try them on, toss to the floor,
try something else and try more.
Don't put them away
that's not your chore.

I'm incredibly humbled to have been included in this series on Honest Chatter.

I'd been following Melody on Instagram for some time before we finally met at an event. She's as beautiful on the inside as she is in her photos.

To be surrounded by people like this fills my heart with such joy.

I am proud of you
for you don't complain,
although I'm sure
you have mental pain.
No memory of objects,
no recalling days,
but if items are
missing, you will say,
"Something's not right."
I tell you now. Every day,
loving you this time
is what I must do,
for I miss the lovely you.

I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing tribe!

This list is comprised of gifts other new moms and I received that made those first few months so much better. Some gifts are more expensive than others. Others require nothing more than time. And, there are those gifts which new moms have given themselves.

But, each one means the world.

We lived in Rainer Beach,
South of Seattle, not far away.
School was starting in a week;
my Mother and I decided to seek,
some new clothes for this one.
That was me, her oldest Son.
We got on the bus, she took a seat.
I sat a few feet behind her,
as she was pregnant
and I was in my teens.
I was embarrassed at being seen with her.
I regret that day and what I did.
Not very nice to my Mother's love.
She never said anything to me,
for she was the kindest soul
I ever did see.
Miss you Mom.

I hear her voice,
in the morning hour.
"Hello, are you awake?
are you in there?"
Then she will ask of me,
"What do I do now?"
She has no memory
of what or how
to proceed with her day.
I explain to her, she needs
some clothes and show
her the way down the stairs.
She no longer puts her pills out
as she used to do, so I do that
now, just for her.
I'll fix her breakfast and a cup
of tea, then I will fix
something for me.