Mother’s Day Special: Caring for Elderly Parents

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GUESTS: Mary Jane (David’s mom); siblings: Marnie, Mark and his wife, Gina, and John; caregivers: Tandi and Taylie

I don’t remember the exact year, but it was about 20 years ago that I began interviewing my Dad and Mom at this time of year on programs related to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

As some listeners will remember, my Dad went to heaven in February 2023 after a sudden heart event at age 91. After 68 years of marriage, my mom became a widow. That’s a difficult loss, as anyone who has lost a beloved husband or wife will attest.

Over the past three years since losing my Dad, my Mom has experienced what many elderly people do: the loss of a spouse and declining health. She broke her shoulder and suffered a brain bleed after falling off her treadmill, underwent a knee replacement, endured emergency small intestine surgery and 22 grueling nights in the hospital to recover, and later suffered another fall in her bathroom, breaking a bone in her back. She was then hospitalized for nearly a week due to fluid in her lung cavity.

Then this past January, after a period of relative stability, she experienced sudden abdominal pain caused by a twisted intestine, again requiring emergency surgery and 14 nights in the hospital.

I say all this not to make the case that she has suffered more than others, but rather the opposite—that what she has gone through is very common for elderly people, and often much worse. After all, Scripture says, “our outer man is decaying,” but the good news for the Christian is that “our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

My mom is home now and doing relatively well. But she can no longer live independently due to the risk of falling. Our family is walking through this journey with her, but we are not doing it alone. God has brought some wonderful women into our lives to provide daytime and overnight care throughout the week. You will meet two of them today in the second segment.

In the final segment, you will also hear from my siblings as they reflect on both the blessings and the challenges of caring for my Mom. And that is the point of this program: to remind us of God’s call to serve and care for aging parents, and how He does a good work not only in the life of the one being cared for, but also in the lives of the caregivers.

We’ll also hear from my Mom herself, now age 92. Her voice may not be as strong as you have heard in the past, but by God’s grace, her faith is as strong as ever. It is our hope that this Mother’s Day, you will treasure the mother God gave you and rely on His strength to care for your parents in their later years.