4 Most Embarrassing Caregiver Moments
By Carol Bradley Bursack, AgingCare.com
Caregiving throws many challenges our way, including care routines for our elders that they once performed for us when we were babies.
1. Taking care of their bathroom issues
Incontinence and trouble with toileting are common among the elderly. Many of you are changing a parents incontinence briefs. While I never had to do that, there is a day from my past related to this type of care that is branded onto my brain. My dad had endured one of his many surgeries, though he was at home recovering. Mom had taken care of his toileting needs since he arrived home from the hospital, however one day when I was sitting with Dad so Mom could go out for a while, he had to go to the bathroom. I certainly didnt mind helping him, but my heart was heavy with the thought that, since Dad was still cognitively stable, he would feel that his daughter helping him with such personal needs was embarrassing.
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As it turned out, I neednt have feared. Dad was pragmatic when it came to the human body, and he welcomed my help without any sign of embarrassment. Since I sat with dad often, I quickly came to the point that the whole process was routine. Still, Ive never forgotten the emotion involved that first time.
Ive heard from male caregivers who think nothing of changing their mothers diapers. Diaper changing for them! is an a ct of love, just as feeding her would be. Some men, however, feel great embarrassment when they first attempt this physically intimate duty. I dont believe that their response is the result of prudishness. I sense its the same feeling I experienced with my dad. Something seems abnormal about handling a parents most personal physical needs. It seems almost disrespectful. Most of us get over this feeling, as we internalize the fact that tending to our loved ones needs, no matter who the person is or how personal the task, is just one more act of loving care.
The 4 Most Embarrassing Caregiver Moments originally appeared on AgingCare.com.
