Living with the Aged

Living with the Aged.

As most of you know, Kerry's mom (Chris or Nana) and dad (John (Red) or Poppi) moved in with us in September 2010. They followed us from San Diego so they could be with us during the winter season of their life. That was over 10 years ago. We helped them pick out a cute townhouse only a few miles from us. We got to see each other many times per week and if needed, we could be on site in minutes. Many times we were needed.

Now that both of them need more and more assistance, we all agreed that a change in this set up was necessary. We spent the following 8 months adding on to our house. Once the construction was complete we spent the next couple of months preparing for their move-in. We have always encouraged that they could make the move whenever they thought they needed to. In August of 2010 Kerry's dad said to us, "We're ready." Once they were settled in, it took 6 - 7 months to figure out what to do with all of their stuff.  We made large donations to the Gospel Rescue Mission and other charities. We tossed a lot as well. Red was involved in every step of the move. We wanted him to make the decisions, and he did - slowly.  Once there home was cleared, it was time to decorate, paint and repair before placing it on the market.

Now that they are living with us, making our family complete, we can sit back and cherish those amazing moments when the warmth of family glows; we can also laugh at those times when things don’t seem to be running so smoothly. Yes, Kerry’s dad is probably the only other person I know who can be as hard-headed as I am (maybe even a little more).

So, as we experience the day to day routines of my being their care giver, we pray for patience and understanding. As both of Kerry’s folks are dealing with severe medical issues, we also pray that we can be used as a pillar of strength for them as they transition through that final phase.

With Kerry’s dad’s blessing, I am going to share with you what life is like in the Hunter household; at first posting daily reports with the goal of doing a weekly or bi-weekly posting, just to keep you in the loop. Of course, if something changes for the better (or worse) I will post the details.

I hope you enjoy this story – every bit of it is based on true events.