Apologies to readers for not posting. A quick note here to let you all know that I have several interesting pieces in the hopper.
I have been distracted by caregiving for a close friend. Fortunately, this is not the beginning of a big slide for him and medical care plus self management are likely to fix things for him.
In the meantime, I would like to say this: even dealing with a transient situation like this, I realize that caregiving is tough. My heart goes out to people who do this for family and friends long-term, in the face of chronic, debilitating conditions.
As a self employed writer and blogger, I don’t get paid sick leave or personal days. As a friend and not a family member, the Family Medical Leave Act does not apply. Sick days and personal days are non-existent. Caregiving has economic fall-out. Plus for my friend, who is a self-employed consultant: this is rough. Few vendors make allowances for work accommodations. He has to make the accommodations and economic sacrifices on his own.
I am not bawling on this, but I want to thank some of the folks that are out there in social media, in service, academia, and more, who spend infinite time addressing caregiving long-term. To name a few, @ShelleyWebbRN @judith_graham and @IRememberBetter (for Alzheimer’s). There are many more. I have to run to the hospital now. There are some excellent blogs, books, and other resources on caregiving. Hope to highlight some of them soon.
During Mom’s saga with AD and the nursing home, I was on a list-serv for caregivers caring for people with Parkinson’s disease (Mom’s original diagnosis). That led me to this site: http://www.caregiver.org, which serves home-based caregivers. If you’re not already familiar with it, you might find it interesting. They did a story project a number of years ago, which was horrifying.
I was self-employed for about 10 years. When Mom got sick, my business fell apart–something that, in hindsight, I’m grateful for. Being forced to go out and get a job was a very lucky thing for me financially.
Mary, thank you for this link, as I’m looking for story projects to complement one that I’m working on right now. And Laura, good luck to your friend. I hear you, loudly, on the freelance issue, which has turned even dicier in recent years. I hope you can slip out for a coffee chat while I’m in town.