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Helping Family and Loved Ones |
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 Is
there any good news about caregiving ?
Yes. Many family caregivers say it is the toughest job they
ever had, and the most rewarding. Dedicating yourself to an elderly
relative, spouse, partner or loved one certainly affirms your loving
nature. Caregiving often helps reorient a household (or neighborhood
or community) around matters of enduring value, such as faith, prayer,
and love, rather than the material issues that often dominate home
life. Once the dependent person dies, people who helped to care for
him or her generally are more confident that they have "done well."
They have "been there" and know what the person went through, and
that they, the caregivers, were loyal and trustworthy and kind. Family
caregiving usually saves the family money, too. Round-the-clock service
by a combination of a nurse and an aide would cost upwards of $50,000
per year. |
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Adapted from The
Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness,
by Joanne Lynn and Joan Harrold, copyright by Joanne Lynn, used by
permission of Oxford University Press.
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