49 Quotes About Caregiving

I believe that most caregivers find that they inherit a situation where they just kind of move into caregiving. It's not a conscious decision for most caregivers, and they are ultimately left with the responsibility of working while still trying to be the caregiver, the provider, and the nurturer.- Sharon Law Tucker

I am an unlikely guardian. A month ago I thought the Medicare doughnut hole was a breakfast special for seniors. I am a care inflictor.

My original fear that my daughter was going to die before BettyJane and myself has now been replaced with the fear that she is going to outlive us.

The author "nails it" in terms of how to deal with a parent's dementia. Rather than browbeating the subject, the author "plays along" and tries to enter the subject's own dementia-challenged "reality." The book contains excellent coping strategies and methodology for dealing with someone suffering with and enduring the pain of dementia or Alzheimer's. It does so with sensitivity, candor and laugh-provoking humor.

The day the roles reverse is foreign. It’s a clumsy dance of love and responsibility, not wanting to cross any lines of respect. It’s honoring this person who gave their life to you—not to mention literally gave you life—and taking their fragile body in your hands like a newborn, tending to their every need.

Rosa's death would have destroyed her, demolished her life. But she would have had the luxury of finality, of lowering the coffin and saying goodbye. And eventually, she'd have risen and rebuilt her life. This way, she was left standing, but in a purgatory state of descent, being whittled away, bit by bit, day by day. Was that better? "What mother thinks this way?" Teresa said.

They wheeled my father up. "Hi Dad," I touched his hand, which was locked down under a thick restraining belt. His sweat pants were stained with food; the socks on his feet were twisted and wrong. "We'll meet you inside," I yelled. My father craned his neck and answered: "Two. Four. Seventeen." The New York Times Magazine, LIVES

It's not a matter of whether or not every employer will feel the impact of caregiving/work balance conflicts, it's a matter of how effectively each employer deals with those conflicts.

I envy Pip the time she spends with Dylan, but at the same time, I don't know if I could do it. Time away from the hospital gives me strength for when I come back. Eating proper food fuels me for when I don't eat at all. Seeing healthy, happy people around me reminds me that's the life we once had. The life we'll have again.