Caregiving can be a 24 hour job, and it is common that caregivers do not have as much time as they would like and need. Caregiving is a new way of life. First I am going to present you with this letter and then I am going to respond. I was given permission to use this letter for an article.
Dear Marci,
I've been reading your caregiving advice articles and I wondered what your thoughts were in my situation.
My aunt and uncle were looking forward to some more leisurely years upon retirement, after decades of hard work on their farm. But when they were in middle age, they decided to take in my aunt's parents, who were becoming increasingly unable to care for themselves.
Little did they know that both of them would linger on, too healthy for a nursing home and not wealthy enough for a continuing care community. Finally, after more than a dozen years of in-home caring for my grandparents, their health had declined to the point where my aunt and uncle had to place them into a nursing home. My grandmother lived to over 100 and my grandfather into his late 90s.
Now my aunt and uncle are less energetic than they were right after retirement. With their own health problems cropping up, they won't be able to do the things they had so long looked forward to.
It's too late for them, I guess, but how can other caregivers avoid the same fate? My aunt wanted to do the right thing and look after the parents she loved, but in doing so it took much of life away from her and her husband.
--An avid reader--
Caregivers take on the caregiving role because they want to see their loved ones get the best possible care. This is especially so in caring for aging parents.
Caregivers also go through many life changes, such as losing their jobs, losing friends, and putting plans on hold. Caregivers also put their health at risk to care for their loved ones. But, this doesn't mean that caregivers resent their loved ones.
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