We have been working on our house for a couple of weeks now, updating one of our bathrooms to ADA standards. As with any project there have been issues, minor glitches along the way. It has been difficult for me to keep still and let the contractor and his team take care of things. I am a fixer, this is my house, and I want to fix it. But, I have enough on my plate already, and I am not a builder which is why we hired them to do the work in the first place. I just need to stay out of the way and let them do their jobs.

We have pets, a dog and a cat. My husband has always been the dog person and has been primary in caring for him. As the dog ages and my husband’s Parkinson’s symptoms progress, some of the dog related tasks have become more difficult and I find myself stepping in to “help”. What has actually happened is that I have taken over some of the things he was doing under the pretense that it is easier for me. Of course the tasks are easier when I do them, but that doesn’t mean I should be taking them away from him. I have enough to do without stealing his chores.

My life as a CarePartner is full as I try to juggle caring for our home, making sure my husband’s needs are met and finding some time for myself. When I accept, no when I take over, tasks that actually belong to someone else I am just asking for overload. I can only do so much and do it well, I need to leave tasks that belong to others alone and give them the opportunities to display their abilities too.