Margo Arrowsmith

Occasionally, when I leave in the morning, Dad is still sleeping  He’s 92 and I lean in, touch his chest to see if he is still breathing.  I remind myself of the anxious new mother who used to do the same thing 38 years ago with her sleeping daughter.   He may have done the same with me.  The guard has changed.

I am a Baby Boomer, from the early years, born just 3 years after the war.   We Baby Boomers have been lauded and blamed.   We fought a war and fought against that war.  We thought we were changing the world, and in many ways we did.

We are now taking care of our parents.

I am taking care of my Dad.  Until very recently, while he lived with me, he took care of himself AND my mother, who died four years ago.  Now, and it seems suddenly to me, he cannot do it any more.  So suddenly I am the captain of the team.  I am lucky to have the team, I know that many of you are doing it alone.  There are those of you better off than me, many who have fewer resources than I do.

But we all need to know more about resources.  We all need more ideas.  We all need to vent sometimes.  We need a community of people who get it.  This is what “Changing the Guard” is all about.

Mission Statement:  To create and maintain a community of support for those caring for parents or spouses that provides resources, moral support and joy.

Arrowmith Printing: Entreprenuership at Mid Century in Small Town Iowa

My Dad: the Gold Standard

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