Do You Have A Circle of Support?

You might think I am talking about a network of friends who would be willing to jump in to pick up your kids if you’re running late or neighbors who knock at your door with a casserole when your husband has surgery and you are juggling everything by yourself.

Those are wonderful resources for every family. But that’s not what I am talking about.

Here at Keeping In Touch Solutions, we view a Circle of Support as a system. It does not happen by chance. You create it to meet a need or resolve an issue.

We create a Circle of Support throughout our lives for a variety of reasons:

• Traveling for work makes lawn and landscaping care impossible so you hire a service to cut your grass and keep the exterior of your home looking good.
• Both parents work and childcare is required. You engage a nanny, sitter or register at a daycare.
• Your child is struggling with reading or math, so you hire a tutor.
• Your income tax has become complicated, beyond your abilities, so you hire an accountant.
• Your vehicle needs maintenance or repair, so you hire a mechanic.
• You need a will so you meet with an attorney and hire her to prepare the document for you.

These are all parties in your Circle of Support. As you go through life, the circle expands, contracts, and changes; insurance brokers, financial planners, massage therapists, acupuncturists, doctors, house cleaners, and, eventually services like home health care.

Your Circle of Support is there for a variety of reasons:

• To meet your responsibilities
• To fulfill commitments
• To improve health
• To take care of your family and possessions

As needs arise and change occurs, your Circle of Support changes, too. That is especially true when you become a caregiver for an aging loved one.

• You don’t have to be the only one who prepares meals and delivers them – there are services and Meals on Wheels to help with that.
• You don’t have to be the only one who drives them to appointments and gatherings – there are concierge services and transportation buses that can help.
• You don’t have to be the only one who keeps them active and social – there are senior groups and centers that make lots of plans and can be filled with fun people and activities for them.
• You don’t have to be the only one who checks on them every day – Keeping In Touch Solutions daily call service can provide a cheerful chat every day to ensure they are safe and doing well.

You are not the only cog in the gears that provide nourishment, care and safety to those you love who are aging and want to live independently. You can build a Circle of Support that will make caregiving a joy instead of a burden.

It’s difficult enough to manage all the things in working, taking care of yourself and your family as well as making sure Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, are OK. Build a Circle of Support and make sure all are getting what they need and want – and you are not bearing all the responsibility on shoulders.

Remember, you have to take care of yourself in order to give to others.

Don’t run your own well dry – develop a Circle of Support.
A daily check-in call could be the lifeline, the joy you give someone that makes the biggest difference in their perception of what old age is like.

Contact me at 317-480-1038 today. Let’s make a difference together.

I’m Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions. It is my heartfelt desire for every person to live a happy and healthy life in the place they call home, no matter what their age. You can’t put a price on peace of mind for your parents and yourself. It’s priceless . . . and significant.

For that reason, the goal of every Keeping In Touch Solutions program is to provide a caring connection and service that both the elderly and their caregivers can rely on to make living that good life easier.