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Over the last half-decade, I became a primary caregiver for a loved one, and as a result, I had the privilege of meeting and speaking to dozens of other caregivers, doctors and health practitioners. On top of this, I have had many conversations with people who were now middle-aged and were now starting to become aware of the fact that they may have to start taking care of their loved ones who are elderly. This article is primarily for this latter group, for every single one of them who I have spoken to approached the subject with great apprehension and fear. This was primarily due to not knowing any information on the matter. This topic requires information that most of us try to avoid looking into until we absolutely have to. To say that this is an uncomfortable subject matter is an understatement. This common state of inaction results in feeling overwhelmed to the point where indecision takes over, and unintended damage is done.
This article aims to make your life easier by giving you a roadmap for taking care of not only the people you hold dear in your life but also yourself as a caregiver. This last point is a common factor overlooked by most people, and it will be addressed in the final section of this article. First, I will point you in the direction of where to start, and then we will go over what you may encounter as the caregiving chapter of your life begins.
You may need to start thinking about taking on this chapter of your life if a loved one is in your care:
- Is starting to no longer care for themselves due to old age and frailty
- If an elder in your family or community is starting to lose their mental faculties
- Is no longer able to care for themselves and are a danger to themselves and others due to dementia (this is a larger topic and one that has its own section)
- If even if they are not elderly, but suffers from an illness that prohibits their ability to physically or mentally take care of themselves
- If someone who is not elderly experiences an accident that prohibits their ability to physically or mentally take care of themselves
Throughout the article, the person in your life who will require care will be called the patient. This is done periodically as a general shorthand due to the variety of possible relationships one can be presented within this scenario.
Lastly, before we get started, I went to great lengths to omit stories, personal details and compelling examples that most literature covering this matter does. Through multiple edits of this article, I did not feel comfortable telling the very private stories of others, even with details such as their genders being changed and identities hidden. The aim of this very lengthy article is not to entertain, but to inform.