Hi everyone, I'm glad to be here. I am an occupational therapist, serial entrepreneur, and caregiver advocate who is also a distance caregiver for my grandparents (grandfather has colon cancer and grandmother has early signs of Parkinson's and some chronic pain). My mother, who lives 20 miles away from them, is their primary "on-paper" caregiver and she does not have the best relationships with her dad so she rarely sees them. My dad works right across the street from them so he sees them more than my mother does, which means he gets to hear them complaining about how their daughter doesn't visit quite frequently. My brother also lives at home, but he also has a strained relationship with our mother and our grandfather, so he is rarely around. I move around quite often myself, so I do what I can when I go home and with frequent phone calls to everyone.
I'm thankful that for the most part, my grandparents are relatively happy, independent, and mobile. In fact, they're world-travelers, and they're finally going on a trip this coming weekend after not being able to leave their home for the last 2 years or so, so I'm really excited for them.
I have a huge heart calling to help other families with caregiving dynamics that are tough to navigate, so I'm hoping to be a helpful resource for caregivers in this forum. If you feel called to, please reach out to say hello. I'd love to meet you, and of course, if there's anything I can help you with, please let me know.
Thank you for reading!