Behind the Scenes of Caregiving #1
My wife has lived with Dermatomyositis for the past 16 years. Beautifully and graciously, with tenacity and grit, she refuses to let her disease define her. But to be honest, over this time, we have learned a lot about things we didn’t want to know anything about.
For most of that time, I have also done work (both volunteer and full time) related to family caregivers, Parkinson’s patients, Alzheimer’s patients, and more. I’ve heard thousands of stories. While much of the experience I have learned about is common, no one experiences it as common. When it’s happening to you, it’s different.
That being said, here are 7 caregiving moments or images that are quite common, yet these are 7 caregiving moments you won’t see on Instagram or Facebook. To be clear, I don’t necessarily want to see them on social media. But, they happen.
- A bowl full of vomit.
- Ugly crying alone.
- Doubled over with another bill that can’t be paid.
- Falling badly in public.
- Stuck on the toilet and don’t have the leg strength to stand up.
- Paralyzed with doubt about what to do or say next.
- Awkwardly climbing out of the tub.
If you’re experiencing these, take heart. You are not alone. There are plenty more where these came from. And there are plenty of patients and caregivers experiencing these every day.
And yet, just like you, they press on, try again, and exemplify the beauty and resilience of the human spirit in moments that no one else sees.
Worth Repeating
Surviving is important; thriving is elegant.
-Maya Angelou
