Saturday, September 20, 2014
Hi! I'm Laura. I'm a doctoral student in Health Studies at Texas Woman's University. I am passionate about caregiver health. During my Master's of Public Health Internship, I completed an internship marketing a free online caregiver support group pilot testing in Idaho. Shortly after that, my father became ill and I moved from another state to live with my mom for a couple months as she prepared to care for my father. My mother served as my father's primary caregiver for four months from the time he left the rehabilitation hospital to his death. Caregivers are often not prepared for their new role. I will explore issues concerning caregiver mental and physical health, support networks, health literacy, advocacy and policy. Join me on this adventure to caring for our caregivers.
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Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with your point that caregivers are not always prepared for their role. My father was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer at the age of 47. My mother's role had always been a housewife. In an instant, she was given the task of taking care of my father during his surgery, radiation therapy treatments, and chemotherapy, as well as dealing with the financial obligations. The burden, stress, and the detriment to her own health had to have been overwhelming. She did her best to shield us from what she was going thru, but I could see the toll it was all taking on her, especially since my father lost his battle to cancer in less than a year. I look forward to reading your blog and learning more about caregiver help so I can be more helpful if the situation should ever present itself again.