Thursday, October 04, 2007
Acid reflux (GERD) is notoriously associated with night awakenings. Therefore, caring for someone with acid reflux disease can lead to insomnia among caregivers. This issue of sleeplessness can turn into a major problem if not addressed. When we don't get enough rest, the problem...
This is the problem...caregiver's (full-time 24/7 kind of caregivers) can't take something to help them sleep. Why? They won't hear their loved one's calls or falls. They need to be "alert," even in sleep.
I know firsthand...my mother lived with us, suffered with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Her PD as she called it, made her night wanderings (from her Alzheimer's) even more dangerous because going eight hours without her PD medicine made her more likely to fall--and her Alzheimer's made her restless, gave her sundowner's syndrome (mixing up her days and nights), and it made it impossible for me to get a good night's sleep.
I was fortunate--we had some help--either day or night--and I learned to sleep anywhere, any how. I stayed home with her, I was able to put my life on hold for three years and give her a home passing.
Difficult--on many levels, but also rewarding. We sacrifice for our babies, we stay home, get up and nurse, and do all the unpleasantries that come with parenting.
Caregivers parent twice.
All I can offer is to get help when you need it. Take the very best care of yourself that you can. Allow others to pitch in--don't be a perfectionist, don't be a martyr. Even saying that, I know you'll still go to the max and be exhausted.
Know that one day, you might have to make a different decision. You might not be able to do this to the end. Do the best you can.
~Carol D. O'Dell
author of MOTHERING MOTHER: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir
available on Amazon and in most bookstores
www.mothering-mother.com