In my more than 10 years of writing a monthly blog for an in-home care agency and my experience caring for my dad and my husband, I’ve had the opportunity to give advice to lots of caregivers.
Guest Writers Blog
This blog presents the ideas and creative thinking of some of Utah's talented older adult writers. Their submissions are to inform and entertain, not to present policy or opinion positions of the Utah Commission on Aging. Enjoy.
You’re 18; you’re finally an adult; you think you know everything. You’ve graduated from high school (which was probably the hardest thing you will ever have to go through), and you’ve reached the moment that you’ve always dreamt of: adulthood. Now you can live your dream life, and you will finally be happy…
Behind that smiling countenance and bullet-proof positive attitude that you’re likely to encounter is the other me: frustrated, beaten down and yes, depressed. Sometimes. Lately it feels like it’s more often than not. My aging spinal cord injury isn’t helping things. Walking, even with crutches, is more difficult than ever. Two worn out painful shoulders are awaiting replacement surgery. Leg spasms are ruling the day. Waaah. Sounds like a lot of complaining to me.
This blog was meant to be. I’m writing it on Veteran’s Day, at the mouth of Utah’s famous Cottonwood Canyons on the first day of the 2022 ski season, in a veteran-owned coffee shop that donates free coffee to troops all over the world.
At the urging of my wise and humorous husband, Lee, and to deflect or distract from minor pains or hurts, our family always played “Which is Worse?” For instance, during a boy-cousins’ sleepover with grandpa, a 9-year-old grandson can be found panicking in the bathroom nursing a bloody nose and lamenting, “Grandpa, I’m hemorrhaging!” You cuddle the victim and give needed first aid. To settle things down even more, you demonstrate and initiate a round of “Which is Worse?”