How often have you found yourself stunned by a particular situation only to find in retrospect that it was right in front of your face for a very long time but you just didn’t process it – you just didn’t see it? How often do we walk into a situation confident we know what’s best when in reality, if we had just listened and paid attention a little bit better, we could have helped a great deal more effectively because we responded to the real need?
Listening to our gut is another key form of listening. Often we know what’s right or what’s best but we don’t listen to that nagging feeling because it may upset the apple cart. And here’s the thing, when we do decide to make that change, upset that apple cart, it gets harder before it gets easier. That’s just a tried and true fact which makes us stay the course and not listen to ourselves.
We KNOW our spouse, or our parent shouldn’t drive anymore. But if we take those keys away, who will drive to the doctor, or the grocery store? Oh, probably us, but we don’t have time,, or maybe we don’t have the energy. We know deep down our loved one is suffering from dementia but we don’t admit it; we hide it, even from family because if we ask for help others may think we can’t handle it anymore. If we share our fears, our fear is that we won’t be allowed to handle it any more. When a situation seems out of our control, we don’t always listen to our gut because we fear losing our independence or our “edge.”
Loss of independence is the biggest key reason people don’t and won’t ask for help. However, the reality is, just a little bit of help can keep you independent so very much longer. Just a little bit of help can keep you juggling all your balls in the air. By having someone do the tasks that put you at risk, that take your stress level over the edge, you are more able to do all the things you CAN do without fear of failing or falling, or hurting yourself or someone you love.
Phoenix is rich in services to help those who are aging. Most of these services are private pay, but there are also services and agencies to help those who may not have the means for support services. Call or email our office for help in finding services that can help your situation. 480-833-8247 or elaine@visitingangelsaz.com