Bigger Not Better

Putting out fires for a loved one is a caregiver’s responsibility no matter how small there request may seem. 

Mom had another issue that was making her uncomfortable.  She was wearing the wrong size undergarments. 

Incontinence is a real problem for many aging seniors and mom is no different.  She has been wearing proper undergarments for some time. 

Mom wants what everyone else wants . . . to feel comfortable. She has always been very selective and wants to feel like the undergarments fit properly. She told me she was given a size large this morning.  Although this may seem like a small issue, I assure you it is major issue.  Making her as comfortable as possible reduces mom’s anxiety.   

She insisted that she show me how big they were.  Once again, mom was right.  She asked me to check her closet to see what size all the packages were that she was given.  Sure enough all packages on her top shelf were large except for one which was an extra large.

As I was straightening mom’s clothes in her closet, Antonette*, her hospice aide, came in.  I explained mom’s concern.  She knew about the problem; she had brought the wrong sizes for mom.  Antonette* had thought the size large would be more comfortable for her.  Her concern for mom was sincere; she told us she would locate a size medium and resolve this problem immediately.

Within minutes Antonette* was back, mom put the size medium undergarments on immediately with the help of her aide.  Mom was pleased. 

We gave Antonette* all of the other packages back.  She assured us that she would replace those packages with the proper size. Mom felt so much better that the issues that were important to her had been looked into and taken care of.

One of my favorite quotes is “To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”