Who Cares for the Caregiver?

The October issue of BottomLine Health had a great article by Vicki Rachkner, MD titled "What No One Tell You About Caregiving." It really got me to thinking about all this around-the-clock hand holding and consoling we are doing for Nanny.

Mom and I are wearing ourselves out and Nanny is so incoherent at night that she doesn't even know where she is. Even though she talks all night, I don't think she is fully awake. It's kind of like sleep walking, but since she can't get up and walk, she's sleep talking. It's like she's dreaming and giving a verbal play-by-play account of her astral activity.

Our consoling does absolutely nothing to calm her down or deter her from talking incessantly. By depriving ourselves of much-needed sleep, we are feeling run down and that makes us frustrated when Nanny really needs our full attention during the day when she is awake. That's when we prep meals, feed her, bathe her, dress her, work on her physical therapy, talk to her, get her up out of bed to sit in her recliner. No caregiver can operate 24/7 without burning out.

I think we will turn off the baby monitor tonight, go to bed, and let her self-soothe. Let's hope for the best!

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