This story continues my Caregiver for Parent Blog, describing what I did for my Mom. After Mom died, Dad became the focus for me and my siblings. Dad Starts Having Medical Problems Move forward three years. Dad’s been living alone since mom died, at least thirty minutes from any of us. We each try to […]
Caregiver for Parents – Dad Read More »
In addition to providing care for my daughter and spouse, I have been a caregiver for both my parents within my home and offered consultative assistance for Lynn’s Mom and stepdad. I rarely was needed to help with Lynn’s Mom; his sister managed most of her care, but when his stepdad began to decline rapidly,
Caregiver for Parents – Mom Read More »
Lynn died on April 9, 2024. When he went into the hospital, I was not expecting an admission. I thought he had a sinus infection but considered he might be developing pulmonary edema, too. I was correct. They almost sent him home, but they kept him because there was a little PE on his x-ray.
My Husband’s Last Fight Read More »
I met Lynn through answering a personal ad in a local paper. We were in our thirties, divorced, had children, had successful careers, had our own homes, and had a solid Christian faith demonstrated by commitments within our church. Other than those general descriptions, we were different in character. I had prayed for God to
Caregiver for My Spouse Read More »
When I began to date after my divorce, my daughter’s mental health condition made having a relationship difficult. I rarely went out because I never knew if she would call me to return home due to an anxiety attack. However, that changed when I met someone sensitive to my situation. He was in no hurry
Impact of Child Caregiving on New Marriage Read More »
Most of my daughter’s course of therapy went well. The medication she took saved her life, in my opinion. As she matured, I began to let her take more responsibility for herself, including taking her medication daily. Acting Differently Overall, she did well with managing her medication, except for one time when she decided she
Caregiving a Teenager Read More »
In today’s world, most people are skeptical when they see an advertisement with someone insisting that they have the same pain and suffering as the reader. Having seen the actor with the “supposed condition” in multiple ads, it’s no wonder the viewer questions the claim. Since claims like that happen so often, many people tend
My Work Experience Read More »
As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a nurse. However, I never expected to need that training to care for my family, especially my child. I knew my firstborn would be a handful before she was born. That baby never stopped moving the entire time I carried her. She continued to move non-stop after
Discovering the Need for Caregiving – My Child Read More »
Whenever you have a medical interaction with any healthcare group, a stream of questions pours out from every new person you encounter. Sometimes it’s easy to remember the answers because it’s a routine appointment. Other times, anxiety fogs the memory banks, making answers difficult to recall. With my husband’s medical status, we unfortunately take unexpected
Pre-Registration Medical Form Read More »
Dissociative Disorder is another type of memory disorder that develops as a defense mechanism following some serious trauma. An individual may attempt to escape from the reality of ongoing abuse, violent attacks, disasters, or combat by mentally disconnecting their thoughts, identity, consciousness, or memories from what is real to what is not real. By unconsciously
Memory Loss – Dissociative Disorders Read More »
Anytime you bring a large group of people together, it is reasonable to expect that several people within that group have medical conditions that could require attention during a worship service. Rarely does the need occur because most families care for their members. However, it happens often enough that ministers, Sunday school teachers, small group
Preparing for Medical Needs at Church Read More »
Often, homebound members would prefer to attend church in person but cannot do so due to the design of the worship building or a practice/custom of the congregation that inadvertently affects the homebound member’s health or safety. Rather than ask for special treatment, such as a practice or building design change, they remove themselves from
Welcoming Those with Special Needs to Church Read More »