Struggling with care aids, nursing or home care workers who cancel or just don’t show up for your partner? Do you find yourself saying “F*ck It! I’ll just do it!!” often? You’re NOT alone. In this episode we share some recent personal experiences and stories, and discuss who picks up the pieces when staff cancel.. YOU. This episode is meant to be an awareness piece for women who are trying to keep up with the demands of the caregiving lifestyle, while running a home and perhaps even working/looking after children. The demands of this life can be extreme sometimes, but it also creates opportunities for resilience and building your own “container” to hold stressful experiences for yourself as well as others. What is the PURPOSE of this experience I am having now and how can I use it to transform myself? This is the question we should all strive to ask ourselves when things do not go as planned.
When we talk about these issues, and bring to light our own struggles, it creates more community and commonalities in the world of SCI and caregiving. Normalizing the hard experiences allows all of us to feel more solid and together within ourselves, even when the world around us seems to be falling apart at times. We discuss the reality of the current systems and our lives, and current events that are changing the way caregivers are seen. We also discuss ways to heal overwhelm and prevent burnout during stressful times when you’re on your own with complex care.
This episode is sponsored by Robyn Wishart of Wishart Brain and Spine Law, the official legal advocate of WAGS of SCI. To learn more about what Robyn does for our community and how she can help you, visit our website here
This episode is also sponsored by Rolling In Paradise Sales, a WAG/Quad owned business specializing in adaptive equipment of all kinds including everyday wheelchairs, sport wheelchairs, off-road mobility, shower chairs, lifts and accessories! They are also a VA Approved business. Support your local WAG of SCI and visit John and Annalisa via their website HERE today!