My life as a family caregiver began in September 2024, when I moved to Florida from the Southwest, in order to care for my elderly mother is wheelchair bound. She also has vascular dementia, and this factors into the equation in ways that are challenging to know the best approach toward her. Other factors include my mother’s personality, my own temperament, and the amount off care that I am required to provide.
Anyone who is a family caregiver knows that we occupy a unique niche in caregiving, wherein no one could understand our plight, except for another family caregiver. Yet, I venture forth with this blogpost to begin a new series of posts, touching on this existential experience, the life and times of a family caregiver to provide an expose of the subject.
It is a highly stressful role to play in relationship to a loved one. I have seen comments on Facebook family caregiver support groups, wherein at least one doctor and nurse have posted comments, denoting that the role of a family caregiver is more stressful than the vocation of doctors and nurses. To begin with, this may often be the case for a family caregiver that is devoted 24-7 to the care of loved within, usually with very little time for oneself.
My own journey so far has brought me forth through several shifts in the level of care that I was required to provide, to the point, currently, whereof it demands most of my attention 24-7; although I have the assistance of staff at an assisted living facility where I live with my mother as her caregiver. It is a demanding role, both a blessing and a curse; yet, I am hoping to transform the curses into blessings too.
Breathing Room 