October 14, 2022, marks 4 years of my father’s passing. I woke up at 1:30 that morning – the same time I got the call from the hospital 4 years ago. It never ceases to amaze me how the universe works.
My father was my mother’s caregiver. I was theirs. But he had to deal with the day in and day out of my mother’s dementia. It took a heavy toll on him, emotionally and physically. Although he was “healthier” than she was, she ended up outliving him…. a far too common scenario of the caregiver passing away before the person with the illness. A result of something that has actually been given a name: The caregiver syndrome.
Now that he is gone, my mother has full-time care. It has made a world of difference. Something we should have done when my dad was around so that we could all have lived with less stress, enjoyed our time together… and longer.
Karine founded Care4giver, an organization that provides in-home senior care in Montreal, Laval and surrounding areas.