In the fifth part of our series on how caregivers seem to experience the same reactions to circumstances that a drowning person experiences, we explore the options a drowning person has–submersion or submission. “From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with… Read more“Submersion or Submission: Which would you choose?”
Tag: caregiving
Angels and Lifeguards: What a Caregiver Needs
In this third part of our series on Drowning in Plain Sight, we salute those ‘lifeguards’ and ‘guardian angels’ who recognize a caregiver’s silent struggle in the waters of caregiving despair. “Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on… Read more“Angels and Lifeguards: What a Caregiver Needs”
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”
Is Anyone in Your Pool Drowning in Plain Sight?
Is Anyone Drowning in YOUR Pool? Drowning victims and caregivers have more in common than one might think. In this five-part series we explore the phenomena of “Drowning in Plain Sight.” As you read, think about the people in your ‘pool’—is anyone drowning? [callout]’Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and… Read more“Is Anyone in Your Pool Drowning in Plain Sight?”
What If and If Only
As I stood under the spray of my shower yesterday morning, the what if moments of our cancer journey replayed through my mind. The remonstrating hospital staff telling me that I shouldn’t do that repeated in my head as well. But my son bleeding in his tears haunts me and… Read more“What If and If Only”
Take Care of Yourself: Six Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Cancer Caregiving 101: Take Care of Yourself and Prevent Caregiver Burnout “Now you must realize,” the doctor straightened the papers into the already thick folder as he finished summarizing the diagnosis, treatment protocol and prognosis, “with a best-case scenario, we’re in for a long haul. You two must take care… Read more“Take Care of Yourself: Six Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout”
Autopilot – the mode of operation for long-term caregivers
Autopilot becomes the way we handle things flung at us as new caregivers. Actually, who am I kidding? It didn’t get easier just because it became longer – in fact, the longer I lived on emergency-ready, life-and-death mode, the grayer my world became. My son was four-years-0ld when we started… Read more“Autopilot – the mode of operation for long-term caregivers”
Expectations Can Make All the Difference
It was one of those mornings where expectations of an normal chemo treatment were obliterated – everything that could go wrong, was going from bad to worse! We had arrived on time for four-year-old Andrew’s chemotherapy, but the nurse hadn’t. When she finally arrived, the doctor wasn’t there yet, neither was… Read more“Expectations Can Make All the Difference”
The Unrecognized Toll of Caregiving on the Caregiver
What Don’t Know CAN Hurt You (or Someone You Love) When Pedro received a cancer diagnosis, I automatically jumped in and took over the role of primary caregiver. I had no idea that people called what I did ‘caregiving.’ Before his diagnosis, I blythly assumed that when someone gets seriously ill,… Read more“The Unrecognized Toll of Caregiving on the Caregiver”
The Nature of the Beast
“It’s the nature of the beast,” I wrote to Anita in one of our many chats: things pile up in the worst possible ways. The end of the quarter looms a week away – grades are due, finals given, frantic make-up assignments might possibly be turned in by desperate students and/or… Read more“The Nature of the Beast”
