That’s long winded way to say that sometimes I need to step back and make sure that the helpers coming to our house are meeting my needs as well as providing care for my husband. If they are not, I need to adjust and, perhaps, even change things up. Caregivers we hire are actually here more for me than for him, something I didn’t fully understand in the beginning. The more I am able to accept this, the more effective the process becomes.  

We recently added a young man to our schedule, he cares for my husband one day a week. He seems good and willing but is very inexperienced so it is taking some training on my part. Which is okay, I would rather take the time to show him what needs to be done and get it done right rather than have to redo it after he leaves. Because having caregivers is not supposed to add to my stress or workload, it is supposed to provide relief.

The latest change is that our other caregiver is taking a job with a different agency and will be leaving after this week. The timing is interesting because I had just spoken with her supervisor about a couple of issues we were having. My hope is that our agency will find someone to replace her quickly because I really like having two different people coming. I don’t mind the change since it will give me a chance to help someone else learn our system and avoid issues before they happen. Plus, it never hurts to have back-up.