I’ve Been Where You Are Now
I understand how a new caregiver feels. I’ve stood at that same door of uncertainty and felt the tidal wave of anxiety roll over me as I wondered what lay ahead. Over the past twenty years, I have experienced first-hand caregiving during three major family life events.
- As a mother caring for my child who had both physical and mental health care needs crippling her ability to function,
- As a grown daughter supporting her father, who was caring for her mother dying of cancer and providing care to her during chemotherapy for a year, and
- As a wife caring for a husband diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (primary progressive), who changed from being able to master anything life threw at him to not being able to scratch an itch on his arm.
I graduated from nursing school in 1978 and worked in or around healthcare until 2018. I had a unique healthcare career. It allowed me to experience a multitude of specialties and gain expertise in areas few are fortunate to experience. Looking back, it expanded my fundamental knowledge base in remarkable ways. The unique skills and abilities acquired filled the needs eventually thrust upon me by the future demands of my family care needs. Through my faith, I realized that God set me on a path to gain the necessary abilities throughout my life. He orchestrated the timeline of my training versus the need for the skill to ensure both matched perfectly. God was in control.
My Professional Experience
Through these experiences, I gained a vast amount of knowledge and insight about family caregiving. However, I was fortunate because God prepared me ahead of time through a series of challenges that equipped me with the skills needed to survive.
Work Experience (Roles Held)
- Staff Registered Nurse (Emergency Department, Medical Units, Intensive Care, Home Health, Psychiatric Department, Chemical Dependency, Surgery Unit).
- Infection Control Nurse Manager
- Employee Health Nurse Manager
- Human Resources Management
Caregiver Experience
- Two children with medical or mental health conditions.
- Spouse with primary progressive multiple sclerosis and multiple co-morbidities.
- Father-in-law with end-stage cancer (assisted with coordination of care).
- Mother with cancer.
- Two grandsons with developmental and medical conditions and four granddaughters with medical conditions, one with complex care requirements.