Category: Caregiving
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Wave the White Flag
Need to write out the pain and exhaustion in my heart Pain and grieving my parents’ dementias Pain and exhaustion caring for my son Must back off both Must take care of myself Must Must Must Must take care of myself Ready to throw in the towel To admit defeat To wave a white flag…
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Cocooning
Cocooning Recovering from social demands From social interaction From caring for others My son My husband My parents From caring about too many From caring too much You may not hear from me You may not read much from me I’m depleted I need to refill Not to care so much about others But to…
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Where Am I Going Now?
Originally written October 2015, a month before my mother had her stroke, before my life changed. Still settling into my new normal. How do I describe myself? How do I best describe my blog? What has my blog become? What direction do I want to take it? What direction is my life taking? Is my writing…
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Kitt's New Media Kit
Getting ready for BlogHer16 I set up a new Media kit page. Noticed that my statistics have fallen this year. Yes, 2016 is not over. Still, it is more than half over, and I’m at lower than half the views I had last year. I know I’ve been busy with caregiving. I’m blogging more about it and less about…
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Flight Back Home
Friday, July 15th Last Saturday, the day after we returned from Oregon, my mother was psychiatrically hospitalized for the third time since her stroke last November. Yesterday morning, I met with the treatment team at her psychiatric hospital. They do not think she needs long-term psychiatric placement. They believe her memory care community is the best…
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Arm's Length
My psychiatrist has asked me numerous times how my sister has handled my parents differently than I have? How has she protected herself? How has she kept herself from being so enmeshed in the family dynamic? The answer is that my sister says no. She keeps my parents at arm’s length. She didn’t answer the…
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Writing on a Plane
Travel Journal from Las Vegas to Portland On my way, our way, to Oregon to visit family. Tonight driving out to the coast to stay at the Adobe. Tomorrow Jennifer is visiting from Australia. BBQ at in-laws to celebrate and to meet her new boyfriend. Will then have to stay in Newport at the Shilo…
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Brain Dead
All three of us – my son, my husband and me – are sick with a virus of some sort – flu, perhaps. Exhaustion I already felt now worsened by deep fatigue achy muscles, nausea, and headache. My brain just is not working. Pulling up the wrong words. Not able to construct thoughts. Still, took…
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Friday Was Tough
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V4YKeq88Qg&w=560&h=315] Note I’ve received feedback that my delivery in this video is too clinical and offputting. Forgive me. I’m trained as a psychotherapist. No doubt I use my training and jargon not just to understand, but to defend myself, to distance myself. Plus, I just like big words. Edited Transcript – “Ums” Removed Yesterday was…