One of the surprise challenges I’m running up against is dressing my hunny. I didn’t anticipate just how difficult it would be, how much time it would consume, and how much patience it would require. I feel like it’s something only another caregiver would fully understand. People might think it’s a challenge to help someone Read More
Category: Blog
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Observation: My Caregiver Equilibrium Recovery Ratio
Call me crazy, but here’s my totally unsupported and unscientific observation: I believe I have a 1:1 caregiver equilibrium recovery ratio. What does that mean? For every full day that I spend on my own caregiving, I need at least one hour of complete freedom to stop feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck. Read More
Code Brown mornings – how a quiet morning can unexpectedly change to full throttle caregiving
Oh, how I cherish those mornings when I can quietly slip downstairs, savour a cup of coffee, and catch up on my iPad in peace. This morning started just like that, a blissful 45 minutes of solitude and relaxation. But then, I heard the familiar sound of footsteps on the floorboards. Heather was up, wandering Read More
RIP Heather’s Glasses
What now? She often leaves her glasses on the bed… I believed it was harmless enough but this is what I saw this morning. This is where the Backup Glasses came in. Note to self: Always keep one or two previous pairs in a drawer… you do that too right? This leaves me thinking, what Read More
Long term caregiver stress is a thing
I was invited out for a bite to eat this week prior to my weekly band practice (that I never miss under any circumstances). The problem was that the social event would’ve started at exactly the time my daughter arrives to relieve me for the evening, so I could possibly make it a few minutes Read More
The Great Slowing Down of Life
Do you remember those days when time seemed boundless, when you could dictate your schedule and pursue your passions without hesitation? The luxury of leisurely mornings, the thrill of diving into hobbies and projects—it all feels like a distant memory for most of us. Once filled with busy and fun activities and personal pursuits, life Read More
A Poem For Heather
Heartbreak in daily routines
As Heather’s personal hygiene has slipped it’s become apparent that she needs a daily shower. I do this with her as she can’t figure out soap and body washing on her own anymore and she can’t follow even the simplest of spoken instructions. So I hop in and gently do it all from shampooing to Read More
Coping and coming up with systems and solutions
Coping: People keep saying “Remember to take care of yourself…” which sure sounds important, and is always delivered with kindness, but doesn’t contain any actual usable information. I understood that concept very early on my own, and I recognized that I would need breaks and coping strategies to survive the inevitable stress and anxiety so Read More
Incontinence
It looks like early days of incontenence in the house… Heather has peed herself a few times over the past months, almost always just from being out of the house and away from the bathroom. So it wasn’t a loss of bladder control, it was the inability to plan and strategize, despite me and others Read More