My Reflections

The hardest part

PROMPT September 3rd

What is the Hardest Part of Your Job? Tell us how you deal with it.

Since I don't really have a job right now per say, I will have to approach this from a different angle. I work, but my work is never done. I am a caregiver. Many things frustrate me every day.

I would say the hardest part of caring for someone else is it is 24/7. It is that way rather it is friend or family member or a parent with a child. You never stop being a caregiver. You are on call all the time even if you are trying to relax or take a break.

It is hard to find time to be completely alone. You are constantly being called on for help or something. Another person relies on you for food and/or medicine. You need to be present for Dr appointments. Before pandemic times, if they are in the hospital, you are too. You assist them with bathing, using the restroom, and getting dressed.

Everything is on you. You do all the personal care, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, and shopping. I can be both overwhelming and exhausting. Sometimes I long for just a break, but then there is no one to relieve me.

Even if I could work at this point, holding a job while being a caregiver is quite challenging. It takes you away from the home for several hours. When the person you care for is a fall risk, it puts them in a vulnerable position. If they can not clean themselves properly after using the restroom, it increases their risks of infection and skin issues. Plus, after working for several hours, it is like coming home to another full time job.

You learn to live one day at a time because you really don't know what tomorrow will bring. Will you be able to get all the housework done or will you spend half the day in the ER because of a fall?

COVID has complicated everything. Do you risk going to the ER and exposing yourself to the virus or do you try to hold out to see if you feel better the next day? Even normal things you would go to the ER for, like having a seizure, has changed. You can not get the care you otherwise would. Everything, and I mean everything, is about COVID. It is really quite frustrating.