What kind of caregiver are you?
If anyone is caring for a person living with dementia, I'm running a monthly virtual support group tomorrow. You can learn more at my site, rachaelwonderlin.com
I just saw this but love this offering. I became my Mom's only caregiver after finding out she had Alzheimer's -- with kids -- with a business and wow, it's been quite a journey. The most difficult and biggest growth year of my life. She's really young, so it was completely unexpected.
I am at the stage that I can finally take care of myself and would like to stay here a while before I add people or pets.
Lizz,
Love this! Always remember to keep yourself at the top of the priority list.
What kind of caregiver? Hmm… I have a cat. That should tell you everything you need to know. ?
I cared for my parents until they passed - they lived here with us in an in-law suite. I took them to appointments, did the shopping if needed, did what needed doing, and generally spent time. It was great for my children to have their grandparents close during their growing up years.
My dad got West Nile and eventually succumbed to CHF (caused by the WNV). We had to place him in a rehab in hopes that he would get strong enough to come home because we couldn’t lift him, but then the CHF caught up with him. Mom had lung cancer and we kept her at home with nursing help. (I’m no nurse. I can handle the “stuff”, but physical care is not my forte.)
Everyone has their skill set… nursing isn’t mine and I’m ok with that.
Melissa, Thank you for sharing your story. I am just curious of where everyone is at with the health care.
My mother has als and I take care of her for a few hours everyday. I also clean my parents' house, and have added doing their laundry and preparing food for my father.
What do you do for yourself?
I set very specific boundaries. I go there only at certain hours, and then I leave when I say I'll leave. I sometimes deal with guilt about that, or am challenged by my family, but now that it's been over a year the routine has set in, we are all more relaxed. I know that if I stayed there all the time, I would burn out and/or become resentful. With solid boundaries we are all more free to enjoy each other and get work done more efficiently!
Also, I keep my house very minimal so it's easy to keep up, so when I come home I only have a few minutes of chores each day, so I don't feel like I'm just spending al of my time doing work. My house is my sanctuary!! My peace and calm!
Love it!
My youngest son is on the autism spectrum. He's 26 years old.