Care for the Caregiver

Story 20: Care for the Caregiver (family, caregiving)

I was one of the first in my circle to become a caregiver for an aging parent, and I felt frightened and alone as I realized my bright and caring mother’s increasing dementia would involve painful uncertainties, difficult decisions, and great loss.  My co-workers will probably never know how important their ongoing support was to me during this time:  cards appeared in my mailbox, chocolate, a bottle of wine and supportive notes were left on my desk, and as the years of her illness dragged on, people continued to remember to ask how I was doing.  It meant the world to me, and it would have meant even more to my mother to know that I was still surrounded by the love and support she could no longer provide. – D, 64

Give her a little extra for when she’s giving someone else her extra.