In presenting Discerning Seniors to a new audience, we describe it as a concierge service, exactly like you would find in a luxury hotel, only focused on senior lifestyle needs. We source, vet, recommend and coordinate the best products, companies or services for you at a specific time in your life. When people press to further understand, we end up saying…well, it’s like a “rent-a daughter” because not only will we find and brief the service in question, we will provide you with the price and contact information and we will advocate on your behalf should there be any additional questions or issues.
We have taken over the role traditionally played by daughters, sisters, nieces and daughters in law. We are never surprised by comments like: “well, that seems expensive” or, “doesn’t the government take care of that?”, or “why should I have to pay for this?” The truth is that women have just folded these responsibilities into their overall family care duties and this has happened for decades without any kind of financial remuneration.
It is time to start re-thinking the value of that care, especially as we tackle these facts:
- 0% of woman aged 25-54 years old now work outside the home (2016 Canadian Census)
- 52% of fist time mothers are over 30 years of age and that trend is growing (2011 Canadian Census)
- We are living longer in Canada, 82.14 years…and trending upwards
- And research has shown that women do just over 85% of all the household work, including caring for family members young and old
Now, we are not statisticians, nor are we sociologists however we can attest with certainty that having older first time moms, more women working (at home and beyond), and all of us living longer – something’s gotta give.
Women (not exclusively, but mostly) are going to need some help taking care of everybody, including themselves. Discerning Seniors can help by doing the leg work and making the whole process a little easier. When it comes to caring for the older folks in our life, women (not exclusively, but most often) can find experience, compassion, suggestions and answers with one phone call. Isn’t that worth the cost? How much would you pay for peace of mind?
