"Time for Ourselves" Plan - Part 4

Last week our goal was to plan to put our Time for Ourselves activity into our routine. I'm working to put contra dancing into my schedule. I now know that the dancing society meets every Friday evening and the best time to go will be when my husband is on the Friday work schedule. Those are the days when I'll have use of our one car. So that will be twice or three times a month. I'd like to go every week and that may happen, but right now I'm not going to make it difficult. I'm going to make this first enhancement to my schedule as easy and stress-free as possible. I want to set myself up for success with no chance for excuses. I can definitely have transportation a couple times a month; I'll start there. I still need to get in touch with a few more friends who'd like to join me in this, and together we may arrange to carpool. All to the good.

I also found out that there is a small fee for each dance attended. It's something I can afford, but I'll need to budget it in. With annual tax time looming, I'm in the process of reviewing finances, so this week, I'll make sure this item is in the budget.

So now I have a set plan for attending and I'm moving on. How did your planning go? I hope you've been able to look at your schedule and block out time for this very important Time for Yourself. When you've done that...

Step 4: Arrange for your dependent's (children, elder's) care

This week, you will put into place the final "arrangement" piece of the Plan. If you need to arrange for daycare or evening care for your elder or your children, this is the week to do that. For your elder, take into consideration what companionship and services will be best for the current situation. You can consider these possibilities:

• Ask a friend, neighbor, or family member to sit with your elder
• Does your church have a ministry for seniors or volunteers who make home visits? Check with your minister or priest if you don't know.
• Check out the local Senior Center to see if they have activities that would interest your elder at the time you'd like to take for yourself.
• Call your local Area Agency on Aging or County Department of Aging or Social Services and ask for local elder daycare programs or volunteer organizations that provide in-home visits.
• Check online or paper telephone yellow pages for "Senior and Aging Organizations" to find companies who can provide in-home care on a short-term basis.
• Assisted Living communities sometimes offer respite care. Your elder could stay for a few hours, overnight, or even for a full week. This service is not always promoted front and center, so you might need to make a few phone calls to verify if the residence provides respite care.

If you get this piece in place, you'll be ready to start your activity. I know you can do it.

Blessings on your caregiving!