Friday, February 26, 2010

Life after CareGiving for your Love One

Life after Caregiving for your Love One begins with the death or extreme health concerns or because you just lost it. I lost it. I lost the patience to deal with someone with dementia. It can happen after one year or several years. I had caregivers to help me with mom and give me a break but I just lost it.

I began my life by hiring a live-in caregiver but after 6 months she couldn't handle it by herself. I have now three full-time caregivers and one part-time caregiver working two 10 hour shifts. I have also designated one caregiver as the staff leader that each caregiver sends their reports to. The staff leader has the ability to hire a temporary caregiver through an agency when needed. I'm also looking for a new caregiver to replace one of the staff caregivers when she graduates from nursing school.

I am in the best health of my life but I am still responsible for the management and care of my mom. I have a "What If" plan in case something happens to me...a domino phone call takes place to make sure mom will always be taken care of. I can now take a deep breath, read my newspapers, drink my Peet's coffee and share my life with someone.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

CaregiverGuy

So there is life after caregiving,I can hardly wait.

Lonely in Seattle

DunkinDonut Girl said...

CareGiverGuy

Did I tell you thanks. I know about caregiving and how difficult it is to trust the people that's taking care of your love one. There is life after caregiving IF you have someone special with your love one.

Hanna Watson said...

Caregiver Guy

Was there anything specific that caused you to lose it? I've been taken care of my mom for 3 years and I feel like I'm losing it.

Hanna
Sacramento, CA