Caregiving Story

My grandma moved into my parents house when I was a freshman in high school and I am now 24 years old. She was living on her own but it was getting harder for her to get around by herself and being deaf at an old age made it harder for her to communicate with others around her. So myself and my family have been taking care of her for about nine years. I've had to watch her while my parents were on vacations and take care of her by preparing meals for her, and taking her to the grocery store and running errands with her. In her early eighties she was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's Disease and she was beginning to forget who I was and would ask me questions over and over again on a daily basis. But, that didn't stop me and my family from taking her places. I have helped with her on road trips from Chicago, Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona. A few times I assisted her on a boating trip for Mother's Day as well. So, when I was away at college I'd come back home and help assist her in activities and just visit with her and make her feel at ease. Like all caregivers, you always have a few run in's with a sibling you have taken care of, but that is what made me and my Grandma's relationship that much stronger. Even though she may not of showed compassion towards me at times, it was the smile on her face that made me realize that she appreciated me and what I was doing. So that's all I needed to see to keep on going and realize I was making a difference. On April 1st, 2009, she passed away in hospice care, and now the house feels a little more empty without her around since she has been around for nine years with the care of me and my family. I helped take care of her during home hospice care for about three weeks - 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, it was stressful and painful at times because she was diagnosed with congestive heartfailure,but I helped clean her, give her meds and turn her to help prevent bed sores and make her as comfortable as possible until it came time for her to rest. For me, just seeing the love that me and my family showed towards her, I would love to expand that love to others. Because the smiles she gave me was all I needed to know about myself and what I was doing.