Many of us find ourselves, at one point or another in our lives, becoming a primary caregiver for our parent or loved one. Oftentimes, our loved one’s disease process is long. Sometimes we find ourselves providing increasingly more care and assistance over the course of many years. When we become so responsible for the wellbeing of another it is common to lose sight of our own needs. We pour from our own cup all day, everyday, and while this can work for diagnoses that last days or a month in duration, it can be nearly impossible to keep this up for many months or many years.
In the twenty years I have spent working with seniors, I have noticed that the most familiar theme between all of the people we assist is the fear of losing independence. No matter our age, we can all identify on some level with that fear. We don’t want to need help. We often fight the changes our body goes through as we age. We lament that we don’t heal as fast as we did in our 20’s.