This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Elizz for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
I grew up learning how to be a caregiver. My mom is a nurse and worked in chronic care for most of my life, and her place of work was a regular stop for me as a child. I would stop there after school and visit many of the patients. I became a candy striper as soon as I was old enough to do it, and had an early education in how to take care of those who need it. It is no wonder that I started working with people with disabilities when I was just 18 years old, and eventually went on to become a social worker. For many years I ran an agency that focused on provided services to seniors and people with disabilities in order to keep them living in their own homes for as long as possible.
Of course, being a candy striper or social worker doesn’t compare to caring for an aging loved one. My mom has set an example in that area as well. As her parents grew older and my grandpa became more medically frail, my mom helped them move closer to her and became their caregiver. She drove them to appointments and helped with chores, but she had a job and my dad to care for so she couldn’t always be there. She had to find services to help them maintain their independence.
With her experience as a nurse and my knowledge in the caring field, we were able to set up the services they needed. There were always things to manage though, and I’m sure it would have been a relief to have more resources for them, but I know my mom valued that time she had with them.
Sadly, both of my grandparents have passed on now. The loss of my grandfather was difficult of course, but the hardest part was watching my grandmother work through her grief. She had lost the love of her life and she seemed to lose her will to live at the same time. I think that mental health issues in the elderly are often overlooked, and it is important to recognize the signs of depression or other mental health issues. I don’t think she ever went back to the happy-go-lucky woman she was with my grandpa, but she did learn to live with her grief.
When we lost my grandmother, my mom had to move into a new stage of her life that was very difficult for her. It was the final stage of caregiving and it was a drastic change from the life she had been living for many years.
Today, 25% of all Canadians identify as caregivers, and that number is expected to grow to 1 in 3 people by the year 2020. Many don’t think of themselves as caregivers, but rather as family or friends. These people are likely in the first two stages of caregiving as listed above by Elizz. As a caregiver to a child with a chronic illness, I drift back and forth through these stages depending on how well he is doing. It can be a constant cycle that we navigate through, celebrating the good days and working through the challenging ones. I am glad that there are support systems out there.
“Elizz was created to arm caregivers with the support and tools they need to better care for their family members and themselves. Fresh, simple and easy to navigate, Elizz.com is the place to go for all thing caregiving. From articles and resources for the Do It Yourself (DIY) Caregiver, to virtual advice through caregiver coaches and nurse advisors, to health care services provided in the home, caregivers can find it all in one convenient place. Elizz also offers peer-to-peer group support as well as a personalized social network called Tyze, which helps individual caregivers to manage their situation and connections with family and friends. Elizz is powered by Saint Elizabeth Health Care, a Canadian not-for-profit with over 100 years of experience.”
Elizz offers support for the caregiver so that he/she can be the caregiver he/she wants to be. The Elizz Caregiver Coach service offers a coaching session where they answer questions, outline options and provide expert advice on navigating the health care system. They build a care plan that works To learn more about Elizz and see the services they have available, visit https://elizz.com/services.
To learn more about Elizz and see the services they have available, visit https://elizz.com/services.
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