The moment I realized that no one gets out of life alive made me come to terms that I was not going to ultimately “win.” Therefore, my objective was to manage my parents’ healthcare to give them quality of life versus quantity. My objective has been to keep them as comfortable and happy as I can within the given resources.

The World Health Organization defines probiotics as, “live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” Benefits include:• Boosts the Immune System• Consuming probiotics while taking antibiotics restores the good bacteria that are

killed by the antibiotic (literally means ‘against life’-what a strange name!)• Use during the cold/flu season as they fight and relieve symptoms such as stuffy

nose and sore throat that are caused due to immune’s system’s reaction to the virus.

• You can make your own probiotics! Foods such as plain unflavored yogurt, kefir, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea and pickles are rich in probiotics. However, if you buy them, it is the unpasteurized versions that are best.

If they are in the hospital, stay late at night. Nights are more relaxed and they have more time to answer your questions without all the managers and doctors around. Sometimes, one small piece of information is the missing puzzle piece.

If the situation is not life threatening, take time to do your own research before making a decision. Learn from others that are dealing with or have dealt with the same health challenges. Attend meetings, find non-profits, read blogs, and tell as many of your connections because often they will know of a good resource.

If your loved one is in the hospital or nursing home, the more you visit, the better care they will get. It is human nature that when we see someone really concerned about someone else, we just want to help! Medical professionals are busy, but they are human and will extra time to help the patients that have family and friends that care.

• Cultures for Health Website has excellent videos and equipment for making these wonders of nature-probiotics. http://www.culturesforhealth.com

• Food Matters TV has many videos on food, traditional medicine, and alternative treatments. There is a fee for this channel but it is well worth it. http://www.foodmatters.tv/

The caregivers will be the ones that tend to your loved one. While this is a not a romantic relationship, it is a relationship. As much as possible try to be around them often before they start to care for your loved one. Also, you need to see if they are doing this as a job, or is it care from their heart. When hiring a caregiver; remember it is the personality of your loved that they must fit with and not yours.

Treat them as a valued member of the team caring for your loved one. Praise them when they do well, give small tokens of appreciation, and provide checklists and training for anything that is different than the average care. In my case, the natural remedies were sometimes more work, so I told them how learning about these will help them with their own family!

Spend time helping them to understand your loved one. The more they know about their likes, dislikes, and past life the more they can help your loved one. All of this information turns your loved one from a “patient” into a person. It also sparks more conversation between them and your loved one.

Unless you have had many elderly friends and relatives that were unable to care for themselves, you probably do not know much about the possible options for living arrangements.

First work with the social worker at the hospital. Even if your loved one is not in the hospital, the social worker at any hospital is a wealth of information to get you started.

Many religious organizations are places that either will have information or know about someone that takes care of the elderly. Many also routinely visit their parishioners in the facilities so they have an idea of the best places.

There are also services you hire that in most cases get their payment from the institution so it will not cost you anything. Just be careful to find a reputable one.

You may not be able to choose your family but you are also not responsible for their behavior. Everyone reacts differently to the eventual loss of a loved one. You are only responsible for yourself and your actions toward the other family members; including your elderly loved one.

I believe most of the challenges I faced were a result of each of my siblings dealing with our own mortality. Your parents, that always seemed so strong and that have been there your entire life, getting to their last days is a wake up that you, too, are getting older.

This is a trek that everyone in the family has to take on their own. However, as I became more educated on dying, the dying process and dealing with the associated emotions; I found that I became more considerate of the fact that everyone deals with it differently. I learned that although we are family the relationship and experiences we each had with our parents was very different.

• Online Article: How to Let Go when a Loved One is Dying• Online Video: The Grief Walker• Book: Aging Concepts and Controversies by Harry R. Moody (Author), Jennifer R.

Sasser (Author)

Your life and your outlook for the rest of your life will be forever changed. The final trek of life is not easy but ultimately it does bring a new level of wisdom.

The last five years have been my parents’ final life trek, but for me it has become the beginning of my final trek. It has been a wake-up call to start living my life differently. To really appreciate the small moments and the wonder of the world. A call to action to be who I have always been inside, but somehow that person got repressed by daily living.

“Now is my life; make the most of it!”

I found that ending the day with a list of what was good about the day changed even a really bad day. The longer I did this practice, the more I was appreciative of even the littlest things such as a morning shower, the ability to walk, being free of pain, and that I was being of service.

The best advice on this topic is spend time with yourself and listen to your inner wisdom.

Http://www.wisdomtrekker.comOr contact me at Lynn@wisdomtrekker.com