Poems about Eldercare

There are many poems about elder care and/or the elderly. Some poems are written by the elderly themselves while others are written by caregivers, whether family or professional. Here, I am sharing only those poems for which I have permission to post from the authors. If you have written a poem about your caregiving experience, won't you share it with others.

Caring for the elderly can be a daunting task. Just ask anyone who has experienced it and they will tell you that it is one of the hardest and most emotionally charged tasks one can undertake. But it can also be one of the most rewarding and moving experiences that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

These caregiver experiences have prompted many to write poems about elder care relating to those experiences. This section is devoted to those elderly who have submitted their lives to someone else’s care and were affected enough to write a poem about it. It is also for the caregivers who have given up part of their lives to care for an elder in need. This is about life altering experiences. It is about one heart touching another. I'm including a wonderfully inspiring poem by Linda Ellis called, The Dash. Her website gives permission to link back to her website.

I hope you will enjoy the poems about elder care I've selected to share with you. If you have a poem you've written and would like to share, please submit it in my invitation below. Remember to include your full name as the author.

If you are interested in learning more about Elder Care, please click on Guide to Elder Care.

Thank you for visiting "Poems about Elder Care."

Poems About Elder Care

Do Not Ask Me To Remember

Do not ask me to remember.
Don’t try to make me understand.
Let me rest and know you’re with me.
Kiss my cheek and hold my hand.

I’m confused beyond your concept.
I am sad and sick and lost.
All I know is that I need you
To be with me at all cost.

Do not lose your patience with me.
Do not scold or curse or cry.
I can’t help the way I’m acting.
Can’t be different ‘though I try.

Just remember that I need you,
That the best of me is gone.
Please don’t fail to stand beside me,
Love me ‘til my life is done.

- Author Unknown


Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where this is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Blessed Are They

Blessed are they who understand
My faltering step and shaking hand.

Blessed are they who know my ears today
Must strain to hear the things they say.

Blessed are they who seem to know
My eyes are dim and my answers slow.

Blessed are they who look away
When my tea was spilled at the table today.

Blessed are they who with a cheery smile
Will stop to chat for a little while.

Blessed are they who never say
“You’ve told that story twice today.”

Blessed are they who know my ways
And bring back memories of yesterdays.

Blessed are they who ease the days
And care for me in loving ways.

Blessed are they who make it known
I’m loved, respected and not alone.

Author Unknown

Listen

by Dawne Gonzales
(Paramus, NJ, U.S.A.)          

So you've heard the story several times before
Please listen very closely, oh don't try to ignore
They were sons & daughters, moms & pops too
Their care and well being is now trusted to you
They once had full lives, raising families and such
They worked and fought battles not asking for much
Now that they're older and as hard as they've tried
They can't do the things they once did with pride
Help them be happy, compassion always choose
Remember, all will eventually stand in their shoes

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