Caregiving

 

 

Good evening and come in for a visit.  I am sharing pictures of some of my lovely day lilies that I enjoy each day and they have become my comfort and inspiration as I am caring for my husband.  Roy has Parkinson's disease and it is progressing as all diseases do. 

 

I am discovering that being a caregiver for a beloved spouse is somewhat like growing flowers in that it takes constant care.  Flowers need good soil, water, fertilizer, protection from insects and diseases to produce beautiful blooms.  Those we care for also need constant care.  They need a comfortable and lovely place to live, nutritious food, cleanliness, medications given on time, and above all nurturing, loving, and protection.

 

 

Like these blooms, your loved one will flourish with loving, tender care.  Their smiles will multiply and make your day a little sunnier.

These blooms are glowing with color and loveliness and with care, your loved one will bloom and glow with as much health as possible with the disease or illness.  Their sweet smiles and thanks will make you glow.

With all the beauty of this bloom comes a lot of hard work and a caregivers day is never done.  There are days that you don't get enough rest, your loved one's body is tired and doesn't want to move and you struggle to take care of them.

The most heart-breaking for me is when Roy's mind is cloudy and he is not thinking in the present.  What do I do?  I sometimes have to be in that world with him until I can coax him back to the present or take care of him where he his and try to remember those wonderful times we had together.  Like the flower, when they are bruised or diseased, you try to bring them back or remember when they were fresh and beautiful. 

Parkinson's is a disease of the whole body for it freezes the muscles where they can't move, it clouds the mind and it freezes the emotions.  Roy is often aware of what is happening and becomes frustrated when he cannot move freely and this makes the condition worse.  Trying to stay calm and soothe him is the key to unlocking the movement and sometimes this is most difficult.  Like growing flowers, you keep on caring and giving and he will bloom again.

I hope I have the energy to begin writing in my blog more and use it as a therapy tool for me and maybe help someone else who is experiencing the same thing.  There are many of my friends and family who have or are walking the same path we are.  It is tough, tiring, depressing and often very lonely and the loneliness is the hardest.

Having a hobby or interests such as handwork, reading, gardening, or other activities are necessary for the caregiver to survive.  Without my crocheting, knitting, reading, and other interests I have developed during the years, I would be a basket case by now.  You have to have a way to escape of only for a little while.

My next posting will be about how to ask for help and when.  A difficult thing for me to do so I will share how I am learning to do this.

Thank you for listening and I will still post recipes sometimes and I promise to keep it positive with a little humor thrown in.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach