Stories from Caregivers: Gail from IOWA
IA
Gail
FROM IOWA
At age 14, Gail moved in with her grandparents who raised her into adulthood. They were by her side supporting her as she got married and began to raise a family of 5 children. There are many irreplaceable memories she has of her grandmother: seeing her in multiple aprons teaching her children how to roll pie crusts, hearing stories of the "olden days"� at her feet, being able to see her grandmother interact with her great grandchildren on a regular basis. These are memories she cherishes and experiences that shaped not only who she is as a person, but who her children are as well. Her grandmother stayed in good health, and continued to walk daily up until the last year of her life. Unwilling to move her into a nursing facility due to cost and her own personal experiences in dealing with the administrators of facilities and seeing the quality of care the residents received, Gail took it upon herself to move her Grandmother home and care for her there. Her grandmother called her "nurse,"� and Gail continued to provide all her needs up until the night she passed peacefully in her own bed, in a comfortable place surrounded by people who loved her. Though Gail was in a unique position as a nursing home care provider herself, she still felt it was better to keep her grandmother with her rather than in a facility. Though it is a difficult task emotionally and physically, Gail said she wouldn't have traded the experience for the world. Her grandmother had given her so much throughout her own life she was happy to return that care as she aged on. The love they gave me"¦ I couldn't leave my grandma alone. I couldn't put her in a nursing home."� It is because of these experiences that Gail spoke out about the importance of caregiving, and has advocated for better caregiving legislation and an overall better appreciation of the important and life-changing work caregivers do.
