The grieving does lessen over time, surely, but we never truly get over the loss of our life partner. And why should we? Just a fact of life... and death.
The loneliness that follows caregiving is one of the least talked-about transitions. The person you organised your life around is gone, and so is the role. Both losses at once...
Hi, you make a valid point. There were also numerous secondary losses that I hadn't considered. I had to figure out -or still am figuring out, who I want to be, who I am now.
Thank you, Janice, for sharing your own very personal experiences with care-giving. It makes it so much more real. This article opened wounds that are only just now beginning to heal after the death of my mother five years ago. Total care-giving, 24 hours a day, especially in the final few months, is exhausting, especially when it is someone you dearly love. It can be traumatizing to one who is unskilled and unprepared. I thank Hospice for saving my life, and helping me cope with the last days of her life. You gave us so much valuable information here. I agree -- prepare as much as you can right now.
Sharron, That was my story - unskilled, unprepared, and devastated. Although Dan was in a memory care facility and I couldn't visit because of COVID for the final weeks of his life, Hospice was a life saver in my mind - more helpful and more supportive than the facility.
The grieving does lessen over time, surely, but we never truly get over the loss of our life partner. And why should we? Just a fact of life... and death.
Excellent compendium of information. Thank you for providing it.
The loneliness that follows caregiving is one of the least talked-about transitions. The person you organised your life around is gone, and so is the role. Both losses at once...
Hi, you make a valid point. There were also numerous secondary losses that I hadn't considered. I had to figure out -or still am figuring out, who I want to be, who I am now.
Thank you, Janice, for sharing your own very personal experiences with care-giving. It makes it so much more real. This article opened wounds that are only just now beginning to heal after the death of my mother five years ago. Total care-giving, 24 hours a day, especially in the final few months, is exhausting, especially when it is someone you dearly love. It can be traumatizing to one who is unskilled and unprepared. I thank Hospice for saving my life, and helping me cope with the last days of her life. You gave us so much valuable information here. I agree -- prepare as much as you can right now.
Sharron, That was my story - unskilled, unprepared, and devastated. Although Dan was in a memory care facility and I couldn't visit because of COVID for the final weeks of his life, Hospice was a life saver in my mind - more helpful and more supportive than the facility.