“Advocating 101: Partner with the provider – chatting with “Eclectic” Dawn
Your Loved One Doesn’t Have to Have Alzheimer’s or Dementia For You to be Part of the Parenting Up Family: 5 Reasons You Became a Caregiver
I’m J Smiles, comedian, Alzheimer’s and Dementia activist, and family caregiver. You may know me from Parenting Up™, where we’re a family of caregivers taking care of our family members together. Welcome to P.U.B. the Parenting Up Blog.
In my Parenting Up™ podcast, I’ve strived to create a PUB, for family caregivers who to get quick support and laugh along the way. I focus on Alzheimer’s and Dementia, but there are tons of other reasons you may have become a family caregiver. And your Loved One (L.O.) might not be your parent, but your sibling, cousin, aunt, uncle, or whoever needed care and you were the right person to do it.
Some other reasons people become caregivers, and why you should feel accepted into this community we’ve built together.
Chronic illness: Many people have chronic illnesses that make them decline over time, sometimes early in age such as multiple sclerosis or advanced heart disease. It can even be an ileostomy surgery that’s gone wrong, leaving your L.O. with the inability to draw nutrition from their food, and requiring additional care for their medical needs.
Car accidents, injuries, and other life-altering events: Sometimes people require caregiving after a car accident has left them permanently injured or disabled. All of a sudden there are daily tasks that they can longer do on their own. There are work related injuries that can occur anytime, anywhere that may leave your L.O. in need of care.
Cancer: Cancer and treatment for cancer can be debilitating depending on the type and severity. Cancer may require long-term care, short-term care during treatment, or palliative care at the end of life. Either way, cancer can cause someone you love to become in need of a caregiver, and they may prefer at-home care to being in a hospital or hospice.
Strokes: Strokes can leave people partially paralyzed, fully paralyzed, or anywhere in between. Some stroke survivors gain back some of their mobility and ability to do things, while others don’t gain back enough to care for themselves any longer.
Traumatic Brain Injuries/spinal cord injuries: Whether acquired playing a sport, falling, or another event, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries can happen at any time, to anyone, at any age, and they may require a caregiver to help them through daily life.
Whatever your caregiving case may be, just know that you are accepted into the Parenting Up™ family, a caregiving family. For more tips, tricks, and truth, check out my podcast, Parenting UP™.
If you feel like you don’t have anyone to lean on, remember you have the global community we've built here at Parenting UP™ .
Text '💜' to +1 404 737-1449 for exclusive caregiving content from J Smiles!
🎧Full audio podcast episode for this blog post: “Advocating 101: Partner with the provider – chatting with “Eclectic” Dawn
