One thing people don’t appreciate about caregiving is…

@Hope

Yes, I was a Caregiver for Both my Parents. We moved both of them into our Home so they could live out their last years and days with us.

I found many things that were difficult.

First, one realizes first hand the impact of disAbilities on one's mobility and movement. Accessing a wheelchair when it was needed and then handling all the care that involves, including finding accessible paths, hauling it into and out of the car, making sure doctors or other places had accessible entrances and seating, this took an extraordinary amount of planning and time to execute even the smallest moves.

Second, one realizes how ignored one will be in Society. One becomes Invisible. I had to give up my job for a couple of years while I figured out Caregivers and a Network of Helpers for my Parents so I could return to my job. Friends drop away. Few want to talk about the problems of Ailing Aging People, and very many will encourage one to put the Parents into a Home. By some estimations, Caregivers boost the economy with our Care by Billions of dollars a year, yet we were so drained and tired that we have no Lobby or other Voice in our Governments.

There are other things, but these are just Two off the top of my head. Thank you for asking this important question. I hope other Caregivers or former Caregivers will chime in with Your Observations.

Love and Courage, Tas

@Hope

I really appreciate you saying this because I agree they're really unappreciated

@Hope people I caregive for are not usually rational and do not thing the way I think. This requires me to develop incredible amounts of patience which I do not naturally have.

But the motto for caregiving is one foot in front of the other.

The exclusion it causes and how difficult it is. Any, even the slightest of thought from someone to make or even attempt to make the a change so my kid can be included is incredibly overwhelming in nice way.

I don’t expect people to understand but it’s really not nice when no thought goes into the circumstances. Worse yet is someone wants to take my youngest to the fair (like last week, and actually arranged it with someone else) but completely intends to leave my eldest here because the wheelchair, inability to actually get on any rides and not really knowing where he is. He smiles, likes bright lights and just being out. And if anyone deserves a good time more than anyone it’s him.

people don’t understand how hard seeing your child not be able to experience even the most simplest of what people take for granted it horrible. Doing normal things just isn’t possible, going trick or treating for example and inviting us to the halloween party, the house has steps and you can count us out. Going to the beach as the sand is impossible to travel over. Going to the forest, the park, camping, all not viable especially as his getting bigger and heavier. I know the world isn’t catered for disabled people so unless you are in the situation it never crosses peoples mind

i also don’t think they understand or want to know about how difficult and upsetting it is to look forward in life. Looking forward with absolutely no ability to change anything whilst understanding what lies ahead.

ultimately there are more than I want to entertain in my thoughts right now, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to change it so why tell people. All I achieve is spiralling in deep sadness encouraging myself to think about it. The attempt even if in the slightest to include someone whos child is excluded due to disability, it will be unexpected and probably be very appreciated and incredibly kind thing to do. So if you know someone in that situation my saying this may result in something someone may never had done or thought of doing.