Care Giving
Four Mistakes Caregivers Make
Caregivers aren’t perfect. As a nurse, I didn’t find giving my husband personal care difficult. But it broke my heart to see my brilliant spouse move further into dementia. His wonderful brain was physically changing. Cells were dying and synapses weren’t firing. As I...
For Those Who Served
Caregiving has changed over the last several decades. In the 60’s my grandmother was the sole caregiver for my grandfather, with as much help from my mom as she could give. It soon became clear that it was not enough, and he ended his days in a nursing home....
When the Caring Stops
Suddenly it’s over. The person you loved and cared for, who took center stage in your life for months, maybe years, dies and it left you heartbroken. You stand at the end of a road that once felt way too long. No more doctor’s appointments, hospital vigils,...
Hunting for Answers
When I was matriculating for my B.S.N. at Alfred University, I used every opportunity to study family caregivers as patients who needed certain interventions for health and well-being. Of course, “caregiving” is not an official disease, so that left family members to...
“Forget Me Not” by Debra Kostiw
So I’ve been a nurse for over 50 years, in hospital and community settings. My desire to work with caregivers arose when I was the sole caregiver for both my parents. It was grueling trying to balance work and my home life. It made me wonder how “lay” people...
Hi Grandma
As I was deciding what I wanted to blog about today, I realized that many folks my age are care receivers and not caregivers. Because I’m in that vulnerable cohort, I often get those phonecalls that begin, “Hi Grandma.” A sob story seeking money as the solution soon...
