Today’s guest blogger is author Jennifer Dukes Lee. In the past year, whilst writing her book It’s All Under Control, she went through a season of caregiving for her parents. Here’s what she learned. The Waiting Room This is the waiting room. Welcome. You know this place, don’t you? When… Read more“The Ache of the Waiting Room”
Category: My Caregiver Connections
Connect with other caregivers and spend some time reading their stories of hope.
A Staph Infection filled with Fear
My boy has a staph infection. Undetermined source. Scary. Fever-inducing. Icky. Doctor monitored. Antibiotic drowned. But it’s OK. Because my boy is 17 and cancer free. As awful as a staph infection is now, it’s not what it used to be! When Andrew was four, we drove home from my high… Read more“A Staph Infection filled with Fear”
A Different Kind of Caregiving
Outdoor School Present I watch as the sky turns from city glow to deep blue. None of the students stir, and traffic flows by like a roaring river (even this early). Finally the clouds behind the campsite change from vague shadows to glorious pink. In the quiet of the morning,… Read more“A Different Kind of Caregiving”
The Cost of Caregiving: Losing Your Place
Caregivers Lose Their Place When Pedro received a non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis in the Spring of 2002, I had no idea that I’d joined a community that had no place to call home. Hundreds of thousands of family caregivers—from teenagers to octogenarians—belong to the community, but we often feel as if… Read more“The Cost of Caregiving: Losing Your Place”
Shadowing in Alzheimer’s: Two Sides of a Coin
The Problem With Alzheimer’s When a beloved family member receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, long-term care is a big issue in the United States. This is especially true when the recipients and their family members have to contend with a condition as devastating as Alzheimer’s disease. Although caregivers have unlimited access to… Read more“Shadowing in Alzheimer’s: Two Sides of a Coin”
Are You Willing to Let God be Sovereign in the Situation?
A Caregiver Looks at Psalm 91: Part II In part one of this series we looked at the first four verses of Psalm 91—a well-loved Psalm that I have a problem with. Join me as I work through the next two verses and try to figure out what they mean… Read more“Are You Willing to Let God be Sovereign in the Situation?”
What You don’t Know About Breathing Can Really Hurt You
Losing My Ability to Breathe Somewhere, between diagnosis and deliverance, I forgot how to breathe. I find myself, at odd moments, holding my breath, not in anticipation or fright, but simply because I have forgotten the rhythm of breathing. I didn’t even know about my loss until I started experiencing… Read more“What You don’t Know About Breathing Can Really Hurt You”
How to Bring Joy to a Caregiver
Psst! Do you want to bring a little joy into a caregiver’s life? “How do I know if I know a caregiver?” you might ask. Good question. A caregiver is someone who bears the responsibility of taking care of someone who can’t take care of him or herself. Family caregivers… Read more“How to Bring Joy to a Caregiver”
Dreading a Colonoscopy? Ten Tips to Help You
The Dread ‘C’ Word If you have already turned 50, and you visit your primary care physician on a regular basis, you’ve probably heard the dread ‘C’ word. No, not cancer—colonoscopy. Having a colonoscopy didn’t make it on my fifty fun firsts lists—mainly because ‘fun’ and ‘colonoscopy’ don’t belong in… Read more“Dreading a Colonoscopy? Ten Tips to Help You”
Caregivers for Life
Although the house smelled of medication, rancid dishrags, baby powder and urine, the remnants of a life well-lived were evident all around. Knick-knacks reflecting good taste and money waited for my dust-cloth. A black grand piano sat in ancient splendor in a darkened and neglected corner of the living room. … Read more“Caregivers for Life”
