pardilia
Werewolf
Posts: 56
Registered: 10-6-2010
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Anyone been a caregiver?
Has anyone been a caregiver?
My mom had a malignant brain tumor removed in December of '09 and I've been her caregiver ever since. She has some memory and attention span
problems, but otherwise she's okay. She has chemo one week a month, which can be kind of rough. I have to manage all of her medical stuff and make
sure she eats right since she's diabetic. And of course, most of the household responsibilities are solely mine now, too.
For those of you who have been in the same position or have known someone who was - what did you (or they) do to keep sane?
The only family we have is each other, so its hard to get time alone where I don't have to worry about her being alone or who she is with.
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gypsybaby21
Silly Human
Posts: 10
Registered: 5-8-2006
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I've personally never been a caregiver, but I have a very large family and about a handful of them are in the medical field. My grandfather died a few
years back from a brain tumor. Hospice helped, but couldn't be there all the time. My family members took turns because unfortunately most of us live
pay check to pay check and/or are juggling work and school. We'd also have really good friends of the family help us out as well and they were always
willing to lend a hand. I would say when you need a break, to have a trusted friend stop by for a couple of hours, with a list of everything that
needed to be done. Or if that's not an option read to her out loud, the constant sound of your voice could be soothing to her. No suggestions for the
cleaning though. I hate cleaning myself. To be honest I think I'm the messiest person I've ever known. Good luck! I hope things get better for you and
your mother.
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pardilia
Werewolf
Posts: 56
Registered: 10-6-2010
Member Is Offline
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Thanks! (Sorry I was late responding - we were away on vacation!)
I had thought of books on tape for her before and that's really such a good idea, thank you for making me think of it again!
The tough thing right now is she wants to be able to do things on her own, but she's not responsible when she does (i.e. juice and a hunk of cheese is
a "meal" to her, or she goes outside without a hat on). She remembers once I tell her, but for the most part she knows better, she's just being
lazy.
(I'm not too big on cleaning either. I'm not really sloppy, but cleaning has never been an imperative thing for me.)
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