By Their Fruits: What Caregiving Taught Me About People
“By their fruits you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” — Matthew 7:16 (NIV) I’ve heard that verse most of my life. I didn’t really understand it until I spent six years taking care of my dad. Most people read it as a warning about false prophets, and […]
I Moved In to Help My Dad. I Had No Idea What He Actually Needed.
Moving in with an elderly parent sounds simple until you do it. I moved in with my dad thinking I knew what I was getting into. I didn’t. I’d never taken care of anybody in my life. Not a spouse, not a kid, not even a sick roommate. So when I decided to move in […]
I’m a Guy, and I Was My Dad’s Full-Time Caregiver for Six Years
When people picture a family caregiver, they usually picture a daughter or a wife. That’s not wrong. About three in five family caregivers are women. But that means roughly two in five are male caregivers, and a lot of us don’t even use the word. We just say we’re “helping Dad out.” I was one […]
My Experience With the VA Caregiver Program
For six years I was the full-time caregiver for my dad, a WWII veteran. For a big part of that time, we had the VA in our corner through its VA caregiver program. People ask me what it was like, and whether it’s worth the hassle of signing up. My honest answer: getting in takes […]
National Family Caregivers Month: What It Means to Someone Who Lived It
National Family Caregivers Month is observed every November in the United States. It’s a month set aside to recognize the millions of people who care for a parent, spouse, child, or friend, usually without pay and often without much thanks. I was one of them. For six years I was the full-time caregiver for my […]