Being a CarePartner has allowed me to increase my skillset greatly. I never expected that I would be cleaning gutters, changing light fixtures or repairing garbage disposals. Thanks to Google, I am now able to add all of those items to my resume.

There are so many things that I am now willing to tackle that I never tried before. Our dishwasher was flashing a PF signal. I took it apart and now it is working again. I have put on my plumbing hat to repair the bathroom sink drain and the kitchen faucet, I have put on my masonry hat to clean and repair the fireplace, I have put on my woodworking hat to split firewood, all tasks that are new to me thanks to my husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis.

I was hesitant at first as the jobs started coming to me, but I have learned that often the most difficult part of a new task is simply getting started. If I sit and worry about a project, it gets bigger. If I go ahead and do it, it gets done. And, I am able to pat myself on the back and accept that I am more capable than I thought. Maybe this an unexpected positive component to being a PD CarePartner?