About

Feeling overwhelmed? Facing family tension? Honoring parents is challenging at any stage of life. But when parents face aging issues, honor often becomes lost in the urgency of unending crisis’ piling up on those who care.

HOP2 is here to offer perspective, encouragement, and resources as children seek to honor their parents, especially as they require more help and care. Whether you find yourself in crisis mode or are simply trying to be prepared, we are here for you.

The Motivation of Honor

The reason HOP2 began was to help everyone fulfill the command to “Honor your father and mother.” It was the subject of a talk I gave at a church workshop which really resonated with people. From there, it spread into a bi-weekly support group. Now it is spilling over into this blog.

My Story

My initiation into the world of elder care began in 1993. A lady at our church developed dementia and accepted help offered by my husband and me.

It began as neighborly kind of help, but eventually became more involved. The issues of driving, finances, attorneys, breaking up a home, nursing homes, funerals, etc. were all roads we helped her navigate.

This all came much closer to home when both of my own parents became seriously ill at the same time. We found ourselves ill-prepared for all the decisions that one must make while dealing with so many emotions and the pressures of a crisis.

When my parents recovered, my sister and I took steps to prepare for the reality that this would likely happen again. Anything we were able to do was a huge help when the next crisis came around.

The emergency with my own parents led my husband and me to add a new dimension to the honor we showed to his parents. When our dads passed away in the same year, it was painful. But the preparation certainly helped free us to focus more on grieving and less on what seemed like petty details in the face of loss.

Life experience taught us many valuable lessons about honoring parents as we walked together through illness, loneliness, and even death. Many of the various tips you’ll find in this blog are steps we took to alleviate some of the stress accompanying a crisis. Our hope is that these suggestions will help others be better prepared to help their parents as they age.