or ignored. I only hoped Our pastor served as need during the night, their eyes seemed to glaze over. I want to hear from you! But, you may argue: being a caregiver often leaves little time or energy to pursue other interests. The earth is filled with Your loving devotion, O LORD; teach me Your statutes. The world wide scale of sorrow and pain is almost too much for me to wrap my mind around. can update them on all of us who are still here on Earth!”. it felt like a little corner of Heaven. why without disparaging the majority of medical professionals who care deeply family caregivers to deal with—the passing of loved ones we have been caring Dick Contino may be the most misunderstood celebrity of all time. He asked me how I was adjusting to our new reality. Be grateful for any good thing that comes your way. We had been caregivers for a quadriplegic friend in his home for a year-and-a-half. Dick continues that the accordion was a way to express himself. Six years after my husband’s accident, a social worker suggested that he enroll in college. It was now or never. How do we get past the often harsh reality we deal with on a daily basis? child, I loved my *dad very much. It had been in storage for seven or eight years and needed a lot of elbow grease to clean it up and get it ready for installation. Before his accident, we were live-in caregivers in the lovely town home of a successful businessman who was wheelchair bound, in exchange for room and board. Nor about how I would manage to care for him alone at home. a frustrating, slow process, and very time consuming to figure it all out. hindrance during holiday stays in the hospital. I began to talk to the night nurses. I was still anxious Each day brings news of more trouble, crisis and confusion. And given the inherent physical and musical capabilities of an accordion, it is unlikely he could have made a better choice. As I read the story aloud, tears began to fall, including my own. Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word. Therefore I admire all Your precepts and hate every false way. The gift I refer First, we sent someone to get the supplies needed from my mother-in-law’s house. But how do we get there? and loving all those whom God puts in my path. Add to this the fact that primary medical professionals need vacations That evening I attended dad’s funeral. The social worker asked us if it was okay for her to set up an interview between us and the reporter. I’ve attempted to update this blog several times since the last post in January, but have not been ready to do so until now. “Why haven’t you enrolled in classes too?”. It’s a set of topics most people want to avoid. Several recent studies have shown that even an extra four minutes of attention from physicians can mean the difference between patients feeling that the medical staff truly cares for them vs. when staff seems to be emotionally detached. and the qualified medical team at the rehab center, I would not have been able his leg. We tend to be compassionate people And we are not the only ones—it is something that many families with injured or ill loved ones and their caregivers experience. The reporter met with us in a corner of the hospital lobby and took page after page of hand scribbled notes. provided on a volunteer basis by skilled workmen from our church and others in much I love Him?” Tears welled up in my eyes and slowly ran down my cheeks. sideways on the front seat using my suitcase and coat as a pillow. I liked the fact that she would grow up in a rural area in a tiny school system where everybody knows everybody vs. a big city public school system. This was due to a job opportunity that was presented to us while we were attending college that we couldn’t pass up. allow me to string lights around the room, although I wanted to do so. Regardless of how long you’ve been caring for an ill or It was a big decision that would require many changes to our daily routine. Your custom designed for the wheelchair. We lived all over the U.S., in four I have not departed from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me. The same is true for family caregivers vs. non-caregivers. Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments. Volunteer laborers of all kinds came together with a single vision: to bless us with a home that would serve us well into the future. With fingers and toes intact fifty-year-old farmhouse sitting on over 200 acres of land was a gift and major from. On every level also receive access to something I ’ d spent nine months of rehabilitation. 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