This month, we are paying tribute to our moms. In many ways, in-home care is about celebrating our elders and what they’ve done in life and continue to do for us, for others and for their communities. More often than not, our mothers play a significant role in how we view the world. We thought that sharing how they’ve helped members of the Midnight Sun Home Care community would be a fun way to honor them.
Today, Roberta, a Midnight Sun Home Care family member talks about her mom, Miriam—who is 83 and one of our clients.
The biggest thing I’ve learned from my mother is, Don’t Quit! Whatever you do, keep moving forward. Even if you make a mistake, just keep trying.
This lesson was very clear when we built our house in Fairbanks. It was 1969 and I was a teenager then. We just went out in the wilderness and built our house by hand, all by ourselves. That was a big thing to do. If she was afraid then, my mother didn’t let it show and we built a wonderful house and had a wonderful time doing it.
That house was always a work in progress, clear up until the time that my parents sold it. I don’t think they ever regretted doing it though. I do know they regretted putting in the plumbing because it always froze up! But that didn’t stop them, and we loved that house.
Now, my mother is teaching me more about patience. I’ve really had to work on it, as she’s gotten older. She was always very much in control of herself before and she isn’t as much any more. I am disabled myself and I think some of the time she keeps moving because I can’t do it for her. That is one of the reasons we really like having in-home healthcare—because there are plenty of times when my husband ends up taking care of both of us. It’s good for him to have a reprieve.
If my husband and I are going someplace, we always include my mom—but the in-home care also helps us because I don’t ever want her to feel like she is stuck in her room and nobody cares for her. Mom really looks forward to the visits from her care provider—and they go over and above in consideration for us. The idea that someone is coming to see her makes her very happy. The aid focuses on her and they have a good time.
I am the oldest of three siblings and the only one here in Alaska. My mom needs me and I enjoy being with her. I also enjoy her still-adventurous spirit. We’ve been talking about moving to the Southwest and when I first brought it up, she said, “Let’s go!”
She is never reluctant to embark on something new and that’s just one more reason that I love her.
