One of the harder things about travelling is missing out on special times back home. Whether that’s missing mother’s day with your mom, or spending Christmas alone, halfway around the world. There are little things you can do while you’re away to show your loved ones you care, and here are some suggestions of how you can do that!
1. Skype
I love Skype, it’s such a wonderful invention and makes being away from home a little easier. If you Skype from computer to computer you don’t pay a cent, making it an affordable way to see your loved ones, no matter how far away you are. The only real issue you’ll face is trying to make the time zones line up if you’re really far away. If your parents are not very tech savvy, I suggest setting Skype up before you go so you can give them a little tour of the platform and how everything works. If your parents or grandparents are a bit too old for traditional Skype to Skype calls, you can even load your Skype account with credit and call them on their normal phone.
2. Don’t Forget About Their Needs
The truth is, as people age many of them find themselves in a slightly sticky financial situation. Ageing can be quite expensive, especially relying on government pensions to live off. If you’re wanting to get your parents or grandparents a thoughtful gift for a missed birthday or Christmas, then something that can be really helpful is a hearing test from The Hearing Room. Often people will try to avoid dealing with hearing issues if they think they can get by, especially if finances are tight. If you notice a loved one is struggling with their hearing, this is the perfect gift for them.
3. Extra Help
If you usually visit your parents regularly to help and are apprehensive about what will happen while you’re overseas, why not consider gifting them some in-home care? It can be something as small as a fortnightly cleaning service to help them keep on top of the housework, or something more personalized like home care by SeniorsForSeniors.ca, allowing them in-home support, care and assistant while you’re on the other side of the world.
Home care is useful if your parents don’t need 24/7 help, but need assistance with certain tasks like cooking and taking medication. Home care services are flexible in the time of day they can visit your parents, so if your parents can make themselves breakfast but struggle to make dinner, a carer can come to make them a hot meal every evening. Services using the best home care software will be able to schedule a time that works for both themselves and your parents, giving you the peace of mind that your parents have the help they need when they need it.
4. A Postcard
There’s nothing quite like receiving real mail in the post that isn’t a bill demanding payment. For a parent or grandparent, there’s something particularly special about getting a postcard in the mail. It shows them that their child or grandchild was thinking of them, even in the midst of their great adventure. For many older generations, it just wasn’t viable or possible to travel as we can now, so it’s also a special way to bring them along on your adventure with you. Postcards are available everywhere around the world and make a wonderful fridge decoration.
It can be hard deciding to travel when you have ageing parents or grandparents and you don’t want to miss out on spending time with them and helping them. With these four simple tips you can ensure your family members know how much you care, while still getting to live your own adventures.
