Thanks for your many kindnesses during Norma's hospitalization and confinement. Your help and support have meant a lot. Several of you have inquired as to how you can continue to help for a while. As we thought about that, it occurred to us that we might provide you a rough schedule giving each available person a day, say, or a certain kind of recurring job or jobs.
For example:
Doctor's appointments (mostly a.m.)
Trash - empty once in house and take dumpster out Tues p.m. for Wed. p/u
Vacuum and light house cleaning (weekly)
Laundry (weekly)
Bed-making (daily)
Odd jobs, repairs, etc., (on-call)
Grocery shopping, prescription pick-up, local errands (random)
Snow removal (who knows!)
Meal preparation (endless)
ad infinitum.
When we say "a day" what we really mean is usually an hour or two.
We realize that many or most of you have a certain day or time of the week that you can get away easier than other days. In this case, feel free to be "on-call" to help with something. Realize that you may or may not get called very often.
As you think about what we've written, you may have better ideas about how to work it out. Please give it some thought and contact me.
I love you all and would welcome your input. If you will call me I'll try to untangle the preferences, if any!
Dad
5 comments:
Even though I'm enjoying our 75 degree weather, it's times like this I wish we lived closer. Please let us know how those of us who live further away can help...because I know we all want to.
Ditto from the Kynaston bunch.
Emily
For a while now I have been stopping by on Tuesday nights to visit and bring a couple of meals. That's a good night for me, and it makes it so I can be there to take out the trash cans, which is something dad told me they need help with. I can easily empty the other garbages while I'm there, and if Dad and Norma change their dinner time just a bit so it's later, I be happy to go every Tuesday after work for a few hours and have dinner with them, plus I could easily do some laundry or other chores while I was there.
I'm sure there are plenty of people who are willing to help, but I also think the time has come for hiring someone to come in maybe 3-4 mornings each week to help with household upkeep and cleaning, or whatever is needed that day. Mornings are the times when most of us aren't available to come, and I would love the assurance of knowing that someone was checking in. Pam told me recently about a service that had been very highly recommended by someone in her ward.
I think there are many people in the family who would be more than willing to contribute financially for a service like this; I know I'd be happy to contribute whatever was needed. (Since I've been making more money, I've loved having someone clean my own house.) Having some paid help for the more "routine" jobs would free up those who live around here to help with things like doctor's appointments and preparing meals where it would be much nicer to have a family member doing it.
Dad and Norma, I hope you will consider this option and let us help out with the cost. (And sign me up for dinner and garbage duty plus other chores on Tuesday.)
Love,
Kalyn
I'll take Thursday afternoons, and I'll take and make dinner when I get there about 1:00-ish. They really appreciate the food from everyone.
I know Amy usually does Monday mornings and many of the doctor appointments; she will continue to do that.
Kim is also going to take Norma to the pool and walk in the warm water on M-W-F mornings and also help out with some of the doctor appointments. Since she is a nurse (one semester away from school), she will also do some of the other medical stuff - like doling out all the meds into the right containers - it's pretty overwhelming for Norma.
I know Pam does a lot of the little daily stuff and her and Kelly have been helping out with the snow.
There is also Ruth, a retired nurse, who is in the Relief Society that helps out quite a bit with appointments and other needs.
Thanks to everyone for all the help. It's good to be part of this big loving family.
Karyn will be flying out and Penny will be flying in this weekend. Penny will only be here a few days, then we'll all kick back in! Thanks to Karyn and Penny for coming out - it's been good to visit!!!
I have been thinking about this for several days. I feel a little frustrated as I try to keep up with what is going on in my day to day life.
I think I have tried to help you and Norma where I could, but I don't know if I can give an exact day to come over all the time. It will have to be here and there when I can fit it in.
I feel guilty that I can't do more and more often.
I think I agree with Kalyn about the household chores. I think having someone come in on a regular basis- a couple of times per week -to do some of the housekeeping is a good option and would be a relief to some of us knowing that those chores are being taken care of.
I know the Davis County Aging services offers some of this help, and maybe I can check into that if the service I suggested does not work for you.
I love you,
Pam
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