Often there is no choice about caregiving.

Someone is diagnosed with a serious disease with treatment and recovery in the unkown future.  Someone else is diagnosed with a progressive disease that can only get worse. And all sorts of scenarios in between — all of which requires help.    Most often, care falls to the person who lives with them – a spouse, a child, a grandchild.  A family may provide space for their loved one to move into their home or choose to move in with their relative.  Others try to continue a career and care for their loved one.  There are 53 million American adults who care for a spouse, elderly parent or relative, or special-needs child in their home.

Caregiving is most likely one of the hardest things you will ever do.  If you deeply love the person for whom you are caring,  have had a great relationship and they treat you well. . . . it’s still likely  to be hard, exhausting and taxing.  If you were abused, had a shaky relationship all along, or your person has always been mean, sarcastic and controlling  . . . it is likely not going to change and caregiving will be even more difficult.  Caregiving will be different for everyone based on their own particular circumstances.