If you refer to Webster’s, you will see there is a difference between happiness and joy.
The difference between the two.
Happiness often depends on your outside surroundings and changes quickly when things happen around you.
Joy is often seen as a deeper, more lasting state of peace, well-being, and inner strength that can stay with a person even during hard times.
In her book, Joyspan, Dr. Kerry Burnight suggests that we live in a world that is focused on lifespan and healthspan but there is a missing gap that she defines as “joyspan.”
She outlines four areas of growing older:
- Growth
- Connect
- Adapt
- Give
These are not driven by genetics. They are choices we make about how we will approach aging.
How we adapt.
And as we age, there are aspects of life that improve. Yes! We get better at adapting, making decisions, solving problems and regulating emotions. All components involved in caregiving.
Adapting is challenging for families. The focus turns to what their loved one can no longer do rather than what he/she can do to maintain dignity and a sense of self.
For many families, children and/or spouses initially provide care. In most families this initial caregiving eventually strains the very relationships they are attempting to preserve.
When family feels more like caregivers than family members, that should be a signal to explore professional, formal care.
The best time to make a plan for caregiving is long before it is needed. Contact us today to get started on your plan.
