i have been taking care of my wife for a year...she is in a nursing home....she cant walk and is dealing with many illnesses...i spend everyday with her 7 to 12 hrs...i want to help her more but i know i cant....i pray allot.....i feel so alone...but i know im not...ive never done this but im reaching out..i love god and my family...but sometimes we need more.....

Good Morning. I just read all the stories in this care-giver section. Heart-warming stories. I too am a care-giver. As a nurse for over 30 years before becoming disabled, I did Hospice nursing until I finally had to stop for my own "mental health". I felt I was becoming the "Angel of Death". Which, in Hospice is what you want to achieve, but I took care of a young Dr. who treated cancer patients before he got it himself and that was the end of my Hospice career. He had a son, my son's age(12)at the time and to see his wife and children come into his room and sit with him for a time, was just too much for me to deal with. My objective was to keep him pain free and attend to his needs. My heart ached for him. He said to me at one point during the night, "Thank you for staying with me and holding my hand, I'm afraid to be alone". I actually could feel the release of tension leave his body as he "relaxed".He passed away the next day in his sleep. This experience left an indelable mark in my heart, why, I think it was because he was so young, a cancer specialist himself, and his young children. And for all the riches this man had, in the end,he just wanted someone with him to share his final moments and to "hold his hand! God Bless you all in your everydy struggles with care giving and taking care of yourselfs. ( As a caregiver, I take care of my 83 yr. old mother who has had multiple strokes and now requires 24 /7 care.)She has always been by bestfriend.

hi dahling,i work at reb center close to home.itook care of mom for 8mo an it was very hard . she had a stroke jan 09 .i didnt know if she would live or die at the time.she was 65 at the time .my husband an i left texas to be with her,we had to move to ky.we give up everything to be there for her an would do again if we had too.she is doing wonderfull.!thank god because i couldnt bare to lose my mom . there were alot of times i was stuck in the house an not able to leave 4 about 3weeks at time an i felt i was going crazy.my husband was very sick at the time and still is.mom is doing well enough to be home an she takes care of herself.we have friends an a nurse who checks on her .we have only been back home for 3mo.ive been a cna since 1983 an taking care of mom was hard/but there were many joys.before mom an i had our share of problems an it gave us a chance to work them out an spend time
together.it was hard on my relationship with my husband we never had time together . mom had lots of rehab an it took many mos for her to beable to walk ,talk ,eat . thank god she can !.being a caregiver is more than changeing a diaper it takes a special kind of person it is a gift of love a selfless act.i couldnt have done it with out my husband an god it would have been unbareable. godbless the caregiver without them where would we be

I would highly appreciate hearing from any of my fellow members. I would like to chat, get to know each other a bit, and maybe, become friends. Thank You Tiger_mom