Is caregiver burnout real? What causes it? Is it really just selfishness? How do you avoid it? What do you do if you have it? Here's my take on the facts and fiction of crashing out as a caregiver (some of this taken from my own experience and some from other...
[I]n the twenty-first century, becoming a caregiver is a transformation that comes at us because today the ‘call to care’ is at odds with the imperative of work and the call to individual achievement. Being a caregiver is not something most people think or dream...
Mention the word “caregiver” and what is the first thought that comes to mind? Older? Exceptional? Isolated and disconnected? Homebound and unemployed? Each of these stereotypes about care and caregivers is becoming increasingly outdated for the approximately 45...
by Donna Thomson, author of The Four Walls of My Freedom: Lessons I've Learned from a Life of Caregiving When I was a teenager, I longed for something exciting to happen. Walking home from school, I prayed for tragedy, drama and romance. "Be careful what you wish...
Throughout the years of our son’s life, the identity of caregiver has pulled and pushed me like tides ebbing and flowing.
Growing older always involves some kind of loss. For my Mom, it meant giving up her beloved car. To Mom, a car has always represented freedom and independence. She fancies herself as a kind of Canadian Thelma or Louise - 'I've had it up to my ass in sedate!' would...
...and what you can do about it Yesterday, I read an excellent blog post titled "Asking for Help" on the Caregiver Space. The article is chock full of good ideas and practical advice. It was the comments that got me thinking, though. Many sounded like this: What if...
If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done Fact: Caregivers need help. Fact: Many caregivers have trouble asking for help. Fact: When friends and family say, "Let me know if there's anything I can do", caregivers...
This video got me thinking about how I have lied to my loved ones. I lied to Nicholas when I said it would be alright after his hip surgery (the truth is, I had no idea... and in the end, it wasn't alright). I lied to Nick...
Let me tell you about a perfect caregiver I know. Her name is Glenna and she looks after my Mom for a couple of hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mom's home care agencies are littered with support workers she's thrown out - my mother resents needing help and quite...