Home care

At some point, home care may become necessary when suffering a degenerative disease. Whether it's having someone come to your house for several hours a day, or live-in full time help, this is a huge step and a difficult one to accept emotionally for patient, caregiver and other family members living in the house. Also the financial ramifications can weigh heavily on a family if the decision to bring professional 24 hour  help in is made.

Day time help if only for a few hours each day, is less intrusive to one's family routine, but if a full-time care giver is required to live in the family home, a comfortable and suitable bedroom preferably with it’s own bathroom facilities should be taken into account and made available.

Having a stranger in one's space, helping with the most personal basic daily procedures, can at first feel like an infringement upon one's privacy. It doesn't bother me being undressed or showered by another person, but more the fact that I require this help at all, is physiologically hard to deal with. Swallowing one's pride, and allowing someone to help shower and getting dressed is a hard pill to swallow.

Someone asked me the other day why I don’t have a lady to help me. I tried as best I could to explain I haven't reached that stage yet. I fully realise that a day will come when I will have no choice, but until then, I will manage as best I can with the help of my husband and daughter. I'm stubborn and determined to live as normal a life as possible. It's hard for those to understand, who are thankfully not in my position, and although it's only logical and sensible to employ someone to help, it takes time to accept these unwelcome changes along with the emotional disturbance and upset this decision would cause. It's very easy for others to tell you what to do, but they are not in your shoes, and giving out advice, however sound it may be, and with good intentions; if at the wrong time, is not welcomed or appreciated.