I recently came across a video done by Jeff Foxworthy written to honor the work done by family caregivers. You can find his original on the AARP YouTube channel or by googling “You might be a caregiver if”. With much respect and gratitude for his comments, I modified his idea just a little bit and came up with the following list of 10 things that let me know I am a Parkinson’s Disease CarePartner. After all, I’d much rather laugh at the absurdity of our situation than cry at the inevitability of what might be coming next.

I know I am a PD CarePartner when…

1. I get excited finding flushable wipes on sale at the grocery store.
2. I know the name of every laxative product on the market and have most of them in my medicine cabinet.
3. The contacts list on my phone includes a primary care physician, neurosurgeon, physical therapist, occupational therapist, movement disorder specialist, speech and language pathologist, orthopedic specialist, and a mental health therapist. (Only one of them is for me, can you guess which one?)
4. I always make sure my husband is showered, shaved and dressed appropriately before I run a comb through my hair and throw on yesterday’s outfit.
5. I know the fastest route to the ER, the closest Urgent Care facility and the closest wine shop just in case.
6. I can replace a broken light fixture, fix a leaky faucet, clean gutters, and repair a hole in the wall without breaking a sweat.
7. In addition to childproofing my home for the grandkids, I have age-proofed it for myself and my husband.
8. I know a dozen different ways to say “HUH?” and most of them don’t include naughty words.
9. I have a pole in my bedroom and it’s not for dancing.
10. I wake every day full of gratitude for the opportunity to spend it caring for my wonderful husband who has this disease. It’s a tough role but I wouldn’t walk away from it for anything in the world!

To view Jeff’s original video, click here You might be a caregiver if….