Caregiving During Young Adulthood

Embed from Getty Images When my mother's relatively routine spinal surgery went wrong nearly seventeen years ago, leaving her in chronic pain and unable to work, my brother gave up his life as he knew it. We call him "the sacrificial lamb." Like Jesus Christ before him, my older brother laid down his entire life at the feet of the people he loves. At 18 years old, my brother was entering his sophomore year in college. He was doing well with his mechanical engineering classes, made many friends, and enjoyed the occasional road trip out of state to go rock climbing. Our mother's surgery shattered his world. My brother came home from college for the weekend, thinking he'd only need to be present for the surgery -- he never returned. He spent his days helping our mother to the bathroom, cooking, cleaning, and driving me to middle school. He got a full-time job as a package handler and became responsible for our mortgage and all other household bills. As time went on, his friends from college stopped calling. Providing care for us took over his life, so much so that he was no longer able to engage in his love of outdoor sports. I was not spared in the upheaval of our lives. My childhood was an anxious and confused one. My previously healthy, long-distance marathon running mother suddenly could not leave her bed. While I was present to help meet some of my mother's care needs, in part because of our seven year age difference, my brother served as the primary caregiver. His caregi...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news