June 23, 2016
Change – constant and often unexpected! Our lives go along for years with changes that are mostly positive ones….marriage, children, a new home, career advancements, etc. Happy changes!
And then one day, the unexpected happens…change that is not positive but change that brings something new and frightening into our lives. I’m talking about change that occurs with the advent of illness, of memory loss, confusion, etc. to someone we love. What to do? How do we address it with our loved one? Dare we say that we notice the changes and are concerned? Can we suggest doctor visits/tests?
About two years ago things changed with my husband…most noticeably the ability to find words sometime and in dealing with anything that contained numbers. Writing checks became something he wasn’t able to do, he couldn’t remember how to make certain numbers, how to state an amount and even, at times, how to sign his name.
In these past two years things more things have changed and he is a very different man than the one I have known for years. He is still the man I love and I want to help him in any way I can. But in addition to the changes occurring with him, I find that I am also changing.
I have had to become the decision maker, the money manager, the one to remember when things need to be done, etc. In many ways, I feel like I’m living alone. It’s scary, what if I don’t make the right decision about something, don’t take care of something that needs to be done, or a bill that needs to be paid.
Lot’s of things are changing in my life but what I haven’t realized at this point is that I have already become a caregiver.
I pray everyday for my husband and I also pray daily for me, for the strength and courage to deal with the changes coming into my life and I ask God to give me the wisdom I need to take care of things.
Care Giving - Risks & Rewards 