Hug a Caregiver

For my fellow caregivers I am sending lots of love and hugs! I know some days we need some extra support and encouragement. I feel your emotions and understand how it is to wear yourself thin taking care of another. Don’t forget to breath, take some time for yourself and ask for relief if you need it. Someone reminded me today that you can’t pour from an empty cup and it was a much needed reminder.

If you haven’t dealt with taking someone to the doctor since the pandemic I will tell you things changed drastically. Some facilities don’t allow anyone, but the patient back during visits and treatments. It sometimes makes for a lonely wait and can be confusing to understand what the doctor said to the patient when it’s relayed. Rules on socialization due to the pandemic have also, decreased the amount of in person support groups for caregivers and other stress outlets. In my case I deal with someone that has early onset Alzheimer’s, suffers with schizophrenia and sundowning.

It is often physically and mentally exhausting. Sundowning if you don’t know is an onset of anxiety, extra confusion and often times aggression that sets in the evenings. Often these patients get their days/nights mixed up. As a caregiver this means loosing sleeping some nights and suffering through aggressive behavior. Keeping someone that is mentally not there in your home is sometimes a task in itself.

I understand people that choose to put their relatives in facilities and I don’t fault anyone for it. This has been my choice and I take full responsibility for it without complaint. I love my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anyone else’s. Being transparent though I’m open enough to tell you I smile often but, not everyday is easy. On social media we see highlight posts and no one really knows the in between. This is not as a complaint or quest for sympathy, but as another reminder to be kind to those around you. We never know what a person is going through. Take time to ask your friends how they are doing, especially, if they are a caregiver and spread the love!