Hands up. Care for an elderly spouse who was eight months in the hospital five years ago. Full-time. Left him for a week to go take care of my mother in the hospital.

Kathy... I've been reading along. Your skill with words humbles me.
Thanks for raising your hand! :)

I am one.

I am taking care of an elderly, infirm mother, with great difficulty.

I'll throw my hat in the ring, though I don't know if I totally qualify.

My images are lending good care and grace to the sadhus at Kumbh mela....does that count ?

i'm just on what i happily think (hope) is the tail end of four years of taking care of my seriously ill child. but it feels like mothering not care-giving... maybe theyre the same thing.

telsum1

I was caregiver for my wife of 15 years. She has something somewhere between bi-polar and epilepsy. We are now separated, largely due to the stress of caregiving.

I am the appointed leader of Team Karen as well as Team Boca (our parents, Mom 86 and Dad 93). Oh, hang on, I see you've got me on your list already. What a lovely tribute for all. Thank you.

You work so hard, I hope OS gives you some respite. And hey, why aren't you on your caregiver list?

Well, you know me, of course-- count me in.

Incredible how many caregivers we have here. Look at that list growing! Looks like this place is respite for more than I realized.

TheBarkingLot4... I know what you mean! Not what I figured on, either - but then, most of my life hasn't been. lol

Hi Emma... which is why you always get my posts, I know.

Sage... not easy... for me, it's my Dad.

Junk1... you do. Totally. And then some.

Algis... your photos are amazing!

Lorianne... I kind of think they are.. :)

skeletnwmn... thank you for letting me know!

Charles... it's hard stuff -- I'm so sorry it led to separation for you.

Sally... lol, good point - I'll add myself. And you're welcome.

FTD... Already did, but glad you spotted this. Know any others?

Team Boca? Sally, that made me laugh, and I needed a laugh. I just returned to my husband after eight days gone and found him happily enjoying himself in the Florida sun, so maybe I'm not as much of a needed caregiver as I thought I was, or I did too good a job of rehabilitating him.

Writer to the Stars
Linda Cooper

One more. My mom passed in 2003, dad moved in with us that year. He'll be 86 soon.

I think I am but it's hard to tell. And there's chickens ...
Mom's 94 but she's just driven herself to cards. Said, Don't worry about dinner tonight, dear - I'm sure I'll be having a big lunch.

Kathy... don't tell HIM that. lol

UB... thank you. I'm popping in every night to add them as they come in here and by PM. We sure have a lot of caregivers here. So many great reads and new finds.

jobouxo13... welcome to the caregivers club. My dad is turning 89 in a few weeks.

Kim... lol. OMG, I love your Mom. I hope that's me at 94. If you look over, you'll see you're already there, too. (I knew from reading your blog & comments around OS)

Thanks for adding me. I've had my hands full the past few weeks.

God bless us, every one.

AtHomePilgrim and RedstockingGrandma were caregivers.

I love your bio, I am caring for a couple of people but their problem is stupidity does it count as well? I have my one Aunt left, but I fear she is really taking care of me, the little girl that is, that lost her mom and still needs mothering.

And I. We have the care of my father, an emphysema patient who recently had a stroke, and my mother, who suffers from dementia. It's a blessing with an unspoken "but ...".

My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer in June, 2009. We have been married for 38 years, but we've been together, off and on, since we were 13. He's doing well. I pray every day for patience.

I helped care for my father for the last seven months of his life. There were other caregivers on different shifts, along with my mother.

He had been incapacitated by a stroke.

I learned a lot during the short while that I did it, and I developed additional respect for people in the medical aid professions.

The prospect of doing that sort of care had been one of my nightmares, especially when I was younger. Feeding people, washing them, changing their soiled diapers...and yeah, wiping their butts.

I was an affluent American who only wanted to banish that part of existence from my thoughts, and my life.

Then I found I actually had to do it. And I realized that doing it didn't ruin my life. Not simply doing it for eight hours a night, at least.

What I found, from my own experience- there have been plenty of times in my life when I found myself wasting my time. For instance, finding myself on some sort of recreational pleasure cruise that was somehow unsatisfying, because I had been idling so long.

Caring for my father, I never got the feeling that I was wasting my time. And I found that the merest kindnesses are so important to people- like holding a cup so they can drink.

I look back and reflect, and think of how I could have done better. What I might have done earlier, to help.

From the American Stroke Association:

Learn To Recognize A Stroke

Stroke is a medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts:

Stroke Warning Signs Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body

Stroke Warning Signs Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

Stroke Warning Signs Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

Stroke Warning Signs Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

Stroke Warning Signs Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay! Immediately call 9-1-1 or the emergency medical services (EMS) number so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you. Also, check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. It's very important to take immediate action. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke. tPA is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of stroke within three hours of stroke symptom onset.

A TIA or transient ischemic attack is a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke. The usual TIA symptoms are the same as those of stroke, only temporary. The short duration of these symptoms and lack of permanent brain injury is the main difference between TIA and stroke.

I know way too much about caregiving. Id love to be included as a caregiver.

*raises hand* - by future profession