Stories from Caregivers: Joanne from MARYLAND
MD
Joanne
FROM MARYLAND
I am, myself, turning 70 this year. I have been caring for my mother who is 92 for the past 3 1/2 years. My mother had a stroke in 1990 and is severely physically disabled and aphasic. She has great difficulty with word retrieval and cannot put 3 words together. I am still working part time and my work, although tiring, gives me an outside focus from the caregiving. While at work a paid caregiver helps my mother. I struggle with health issues myself and my two grandchildren live across the country from me. I yearn to see them more often but with work, the stresses of travel and caring for my mother, my trips to see those babies don't happen as often as I wish. The greatest problem is the responsibility of caring for her while caring for myself. I find that the responsibility for my mother fills my head and I often let my own health care take a back burner. When the caregiver leaves at 5 PM I am responsible for making meals, supervising her transitions (sofa to bed, sofa to bathroom bathroom to bed), getting her breakfast before I go to work and most important I am often the only source of emotional support for her. I also managing her finances and coordinate her health care. Fortunately I do get a break in the summer because my mother spends time with her. It is still very very difficult and it is hard not to feel resentful at times. My mother will be running out of funds and I don't know what will happen then. As I approach 70, and realize my own health limitations, I am concerned about my own quality of life. Living in Maryland, I don't think my State legislature has introduced any bills for caregiver support. We now have a Republican governor who is bent on cutting taxes so I don't feel very optimistic.
