If a spouse or partner faces a physical crisis, you may quickly fall into the role of the sudden caregiver. One moment life is easy and carefree, and the next moment you are scheduling doctor’s appointments, caring for a loved one after surgery, or balancing transportation for another appointment. No one has a road map for your journey while you drown in on-the-job training-and you are your own trainer!
Since there is no preparation, many of us must make it up as you go along. What can be more frightening is when the person who helped you make decisions for decades is now looking to you for help. One author of a book on sudden caregiving offers some good advice. First, ask for help. Most people would love to step up to the plate if they only knew what you needed. Grab your accounting friend to help you keep track of billing or your friend with endless patience to dive into some of the health insurance questions. If you build a team of people you trust and depend on, your journey immediately becomes less stressful.
Follow this LINK to article that introduces you to sudden caregiving. You’ll learn ways to build caregiving resilience, and you’ll step up to the challenge and find peace and gratitude with what comes your way.