Making Smiles From Sandwiches

When I heard about the sandwich generation for the first time, I assumed I was part of it.  I, being the fourth of five children, had parents a little older than most of my friends' parents, and I, being a late starter having children, am the parent of a teenager.  So I am sandwiched between  having the privilege of helping my mom out when I can and running my daughter hither and yon.

When I allowed myself to delve a little deeper, though, I realized that every generation is a sandwich generation - my generation just thinks of it through more of a me-centered prism.  I never gave it a second thought when my grandmothers lived with us while I was growing up.  Multiple generations living together used to be a way of life, and it was a way of life that benefited everyone.

More families with two breadwinners have definitely made it more difficult for everyone to live together, but there is still no shortage of families caring for children and assisting with the needs of aging parents at the same time.  I think we just look at it much more now from the perspective of the stress it places on the caregivers, and rightly so.  Faster paced lives, more activities, the need to be everywhere at once - it can all seem just too much.

While caregiving is a great responsibility, it is also such a gift!  I wouldn't trade my days of playing cards with my mother's mother or sitting next to her at church stroking the fox fur around her neck while she slipped me cherry lifesavers; nor would I give up my memories of sitting at my father's mother's vanity playing with the bright red lipstick and stark white powder while she cooked cornbread and beans for dinner.  

Timesavers came to be from a very specific philosophy - when we are able to help families who are stretched too thin from a time standpoint, and when we find the right caregivers to build a trust relationship with our clients, we are enhancing the lives of both our clients and our caregivers.  We are a service based in finding the ways to make a family's time spent with loved ones the very best of times, the times from which their memories will bring smiles for years and generations to come.  We are a service intended to make the difference that matters.

Life's Chauffeur

When you think of a chauffeur, you probably think of movie stars, political big shots, or Donald Trump.  But everyone's life could use a chauffeur!  Because all it really means is you get a little help getting from one place to another.  Whether you need to shuttle to the airport or go to the grocery store, having some company along the way is never a bad thing.

We were so very fortunate this week to receive a call from a sweet older gentleman trying to figure out how to get from Bowling Green to Pensacola to see his brother who was hospitalized.  In our world, getting older means classifying someone as "older" is relative - this particular gentleman is 91 years old.  After many phone calls, Facebook posts and questions and lots of offers of financial help from great friends, conversations with the Pensacola hospital, several airlines, and then the gentleman's son, we got it figured out!  Chauffeuring to the airport was never so useful or so enriching for our driver!

Now, this is not to say that a special night out isn't a good reason to have a chauffeur.  What could be more relaxing than sitting in the back seat of a luxury sedan with your sweetie while being driven to a great restaurant, play or concert?

And then there's the matter of getting to the big box store, parking a mile away and having to bag, box and load all of those items alone.  Why not have a driver and helper along? 

You see, we don't think "help" is a bad word - it isn't a sign of weakness or dependency.  "Help" is a gift we are all able to provide in one way or another.  And in our case, part of the help we provide is with a chauffeur service - it's part of the difference that matters.  So whether going to the airport, the hairdresser, or out for a night on the town, let us help!  You deserve it!

Concierge Me!

            And today I begin blogging in earnest!  Things are certainly exciting at Timesavers – we are offering more and new services, have an office space that is inhabited by real live human beings part-time, and have hired some new employees to add to our roster of outstanding and caring individuals whose only goal is to make the difference that matters for you and your family.

            Timesavers is a concierge service, but that seems awfully high-falutin’.  “Concierge” is just a fancy word for doing all those little things you don’t have time to finish or that just plain make you crazy!  You know, the post office, the dry cleaners, the pet store, the grocery, having the oil changed in the car … on and on it goes!

            Typically, a day in the life of one of our great staff might include picking up fresh produce from the farmers’ market, picking up the dry cleaning, standing in line to get license plates renewed at the clerk’s office, then going to a client’s home to do laundry, change the beds, and fix a light supper.  And if you look at this list, it might just hit you that if you do all of those things in a day yourself, you don’t have time to go to your own job or time to enjoy your family, or time to be at peace.

            Timesavers has a philosophy – we are locally owned and believe our community is the best around and we want our clients to be able to breathe in the Bowling Green air and experience all it has to offer without the mind clutter that can make days so long and stress so overwhelming.  We want to make that effort that allows you to say “wow, my weekend was fantastic because someone I trust helped me do all of my errands and little jobs during the week.”  We want to be your someone to trust!  Visit us beginning Monday, September 10, 2012, on Monday and Wednesday afternoons inside First Choice Home Medical in Thoroughbred Square beside Rafferty’s.  We look forward to being the difference that matters in your life!     

And We're Off!

Wow - the past six weeks have flown by, and Timesavers has been holding on tight! We love the exhilarating feeling of flying along, and we love the changes and improvements happening for us everyday! The next few posts will focus on what a day in the life is like of someone providing the services we provide. We'll sketch for you a portrait of what makes us different from other services, of what makes us unique. As time passes, we tend to realize more and more how important it is to do something each day that makes a difference in the world. Whether someone recognizes how they are meant to leave their mark at a young age or in the last years of their lives,it's never too late to find the path down which we were meant to travel. If Timesavers can help you navigate that path, we want to be there, either providing assistance or standing on the sidelines with encouragement, compassion, and a big dose of belief. Time does seem to fly, so why not grab on with both hands and see where the flight will take you - there's really nothing to lose!

Welcome

It looks like I’ll be writing a blog every couple of weeks for our re-vamped website, and I hope you will find it both informative and entertaining!  We do a lot of things at Timesavers, and one of the services of which we’re very proud is our caregiving.  What we do is non-medical, but what we try to achieve for our clients is the equivalent of the very best remedy around – contentment, independence, socialization, engagement with the community, and outstanding quality of life.

When I was growing up, my family always had an older or unwell family member either living or staying with us.  Grandmothers, uncles, cousins – it was just part of our life.  I never thought a thing about the fact that my grandmother had her own little apartment at our house, or that my uncle stayed with us for months while he recovered from a heart attack.  It just seemed right.

Well, that was a long time ago, and things have changed for families now.  Family members are scattered across the country, if not the world; most husbands and wives both work outside the home; children’s schedules are hectic and time-consuming; and it’s just not always feasible to move a family member into the downstairs bedroom for six months.  The population of those needing some kind of help grows daily, and family can’t always meet the need.

If the alternative is people not receiving the help they need to remain in their homes or as independent as possible in an independent living or assisted living community, I just don’t accept that.  I experienced first-hand what it takes to make someone’s quality of life as high as possible for as long as possible, and I know that, even if there isn’t a family member around to help, there are other ways.

Churches, social organizations, veterans’ groups, and state and federal resources are all a great help to those who need a little boost every now and then.  And there are those services that offer the alternative of providing the same kind of help a family member would – compassionate, trustworthy, interested, and dedicated to one person at a time.  At Timesavers, we like to think we are that kind of service – our goal is to make our clients feel like family.

We work very hard to make certain we do the grocery shopping the way our clients want; we are available when needed for transportation out to eat, to the doctor, or just out for a ride; we prepare meals and do the housekeeping the way our clients would do it for themselves; and we treat our clients with respect when tending to their personal needs.  I could go on and on about the many things we do for our clients, but I have to save something for the next installment!

If I looked at caregiving needs from a numbers only perspective, I would tell you all about various studies and statistics.  But I look at those needs through the window of my own experiences.  You know, as do I, that those we love remain more engaged and happy when they are around people, activity, and things they love.  It doesn’t take a scientific study of the brain to realize it.  So call someone you love, or go visit them and just see how they’re doing.  Or let Timesavers help you help them.  You might be surprised at the lift you give their day, and you might even feel a little lift yourself!  Make a difference!