You might be a fulltime caregiver if...
I am trying to find humor anywhere I can. Yesterday I was standing in a short line at the bank and it occurred to me how nice it was to just stand there quietly without (really) worrying about my LO for a few minutes. it occurred to me that we full-time caregivers have a slightly different view of our "free time":
- Standing in line at a store or bank is “respite care”
- Taking a shower is a “spa day”
- Your LO getting a 15 minute haircut is “vacation”
- Iced coffee is your go-to because you never get to drink it hot.
Any others?
Comments
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- Walking the dog on a cold dark winter night feels like a getaway!
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Going to the restroom at the store by yourself!
4 -
Staying up late and reading a book by myself feels like I'm at the beach even though I'm so tired and really want to go to sleep.
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I agree with Babz0226. I stay up way too late on friday and saturday nights because it feels like a vacation to get to read a book or do a jigsaw puzzle!
2 -
I read every night in bed. (We sleep in separate rooms because he has sleep apnea and won't use a CPAP). It is such an escape for me. I love reading about other people's lives as it provides a great escape for me.
I get up an hour early in the a.m., just for quite time, coffee and prayer.
These times keep me somewhat sane.
So... You might be a full-time caregiver if you can't wait to go to bed and get up at the crack of dawn for some peace😀.
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I hate when I get up an hour or two early to have some time to myself and my husband decides to get up early with me to “give me company”.
17 -
When your LO takes a short nap in the day it’s a dream come true ! What to do with this free time ?
7 -
You might be a caregiver if. . .
Going to a restauraunt produces a lot anxiety because you know at any moment there could be a public outburst.
The rare occassions when they take an afternoon nap and all is quiet.
You get up early to have a quiet cup of coffee and to reflect on life but you know that hour will cost you in fatique but it's worth it.
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…when you wake up at 4:30am and treat it like it’s a gift because you know your LO won’t be up for hours.
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When you get a 2 hour “vacation” every day. The hour between DH’s bedtime and mine, and the hour in the morning when I’m awake while DH is still sleeping.
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You might be a caregiver if...
You bustle the both of you to bed at 8 p.m. every day, knowing he'll conk out almost immediately and give you two hours of pure reading pleasure. Don't know what I'd do without my library, my kindle app and my iPad.
9 -
You might be a full-time caregiver if...
...you're happy your spouse only ate part of the paper napkin at dinner.
...you've watched the same movie together at least 5 times -- just this week!
8 -
You might be a full-time caregiver if...
You're so happy when he falls asleep in his recliner in front of the TV; then I can grab the remote and change the channel from Grit TV (very old Westerns) to the Hallmark Channel or whatever I want to watch.
5 -
Hi ButterflyWings, You surely made me chuckle. I think you win the prize for the most humor. It really helps to be able to laugh in this madness.
4 -
Going to work is a vacation and you look forward to time you don't have to feel guilty about being away and paying someone else to care for your spouse.
2 -
Getting to read in bed before getting up to start the day, and staying up watching silly TV shows without thinking of anything.
2 -
haha...this wins the prize...I can 100% relate to this one (my LO favors Rawhide and Ancient Aliens).
0 -
Your annual mammogram, without DH in tow, feels like a mini-vacation.
3 -
You do laundry only to realize afterwards that LO left depends in pants and everything you washed is covered with white cotton!
4 -
Taking out the trash feels like a walk in the park.
6 -
Putting outgoing mail in the mailbox only to have your DH say he is going to "pick up" the mail and he returns with the outgoing mail or... a neighbor's mail.
Going to the grocery store and having your DH take the items off the conveyor belt before it has been scanned.
3 -
🤣🤣
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You now appreciate that your spouse hoarded nitrile gloves early in his dementia.
5 -
Kindle Lovers Unite! Life saving and work hard to keep it charged. My tranquilizer when I need some soothing escape and it makes no noise!
J.
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...you tell you LOWD to go ahead and light up that cigarette and smoke till your heart's content (tweezers in one hand to light it and a stick pretzel being shaken defiantly at me while held elegantly in smokers pose in the other hand 😁)
4 -
You put papers in the recycle bin and LO takes them out (even though they're ripped up) and asks you about them all over again.
No issue is ever settled. When I really want things to end, I have to shred the paper.
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You arrange your hybrid work schedule so you're in the office the day before and the day after a long weekend. You plan your errands so your LO doesn't want to come along and you get to be on your own for half of Saturday morning. You tell them that you're making eggs and toast because the dog needs the extra protein, and you made an extra for them while you were cooking, when the reality is actually the reverse. You hide the snacks you like, because if you don't, they won't be there when you get home.
1 -
This is exactly what I do.
go to “bed” early to read, then I get up early for alone time as he sleeps in.
😀
1 -
You know you are a caregiver whn you are sitting next to your 30some nephew who is trying to remember a book title, and when he says he is having a hard time remembering, you say it's just like at home...and his response is, I bet.
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When your spouse thinks the backyard is the trash can and throws everything out the back door.
0
Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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