My theme this year is Caring for the Caregiver. My posts are based on my experience and are not meant to be a comprehensive guide on the subject. I would love to hear your experiences..
You can catch up with my previous posts here.
With each post, I am sharing a sketch that I have done as a means for stress busting.
Why Me?
My husband and I look after and are main caregivers for three elders (four, till my father passed away a couple of years ago).
And I have asked myself “Why Me” umpteen times and with no answer.
Why this? Why that? Why Why Why
Very slowly and painfully I have accepted that this is how it is going to be, maybe this is what God wants me to do so its best that I simply get on with my job instead of complaining and cribbing. It is easy to say so and write here but very difficult to implement. Especially when one has to give up doing things we love or enjoy.
Yet, once I have accepted the situation, its been much easier, my stress has reduced and generally I think I can become a better care giver. Being emotionally charged up is not good as I tend to become irritable, argumentative and so on..
We relish and appreciate every support and help from our family members .. Along with professional helpers, we have managed to keep ourselves sane and try to stay fit and happy.
Why me is not a question that I ask now..
However, as I said before…
There is no one size fits all solution.
Every family has to find something that suits them best.
At best, posts such as mine will inspire a family to come up with their unique workable plan.
Sketch for the day
We are almost at the end of the Ato Z!
How has it treated you?
Have you kept up with reading and commenting? This is where I could not keep up but I hope to catch up soon.
Stay happy folks!
As always your posts resonate with me because I think at some level we are following parallel paths. I too am actively responsible for the care of one 88 year old and in fact today will be marking the first death anniversary of my father in law who was 90 when he passed way. Apart from the last two months before he died and the last half hour before he slipped away, he was every inch an Army officer and refused to surrender either his independence or his body to the bitter end.
Accepting old age is one thing but accepting that your care giver is also old is yet another!
@bellybytes Thank you. I guess we have no choice but to think that we are the 'chosen ones' for this task – its the best way to cheer us up and keep us motivated! I fully echo your thoughts.. "..accepting that your care giver is also old is another!"
Hi Archana. I was unable to keep up with the comments due to my husband dying during the A-Z Challenge, but I am catching up now. I asked, "Why me?" at first, but soon wondered, "Why not me?" so many people face this kind of challenge at some point in their lives. I'm not immune to suffering. No one is. I'm just thankful for the support during this time. SO many people have it worse.
That is so brave Heather. Stay strong. God is with you and your family through this.