09/03/2025
The caregiver and the challenges of giving care.
A few of my friends have been caregivers working away from home, I salute them. They worked as public caregivers and emotionally different to the personal caregiver. The personal caregiver is attached by family, partner, husband I want to talk about the personal caregiver! In my case it is my husband, 89, who has Vascular Dementia.
I have a dear friend who, for 10 years, worked in the UK on-and-off and we admired her gutsy way of successfully taking care of a variety of conditions - some Alzheimer dementia. She worked for many years; today she is 86 and once again a caregiver - this time not public but personal. Although she had years of experience as an excellent caregiver, the shock of her husbands condition was different. Firstly, she failed to recognise the symptoms and for a period was in denial - not only denial but frustration. Deep feelings of hurt and rejection, anger, confusion, not coping. Slowly, her own life, her living was slipping. In a sense it was a form of humiliation. While visiting friends her husband would relate a story distorted, she would correct him which added to confusion and reaction. Daily her husband's actions were wearing her down.
She has joined a Dementia Care Group which helps her cope and understand dementia.
Hopefully this page that I have created with love, will help you too.
💜
