A caregiver's experience

I have a special visitor staying with me at present; my sister-in-law, who has first hand experience at being a caregiver, as she looked after my brother who had Gaucher and Parkinson's, until he sadly passed away three years ago. Talking together, I was given insight of her experience and what she had been through. I was taken aback at something she said, that had not occurred to me, and with her permission I am sharing her perspective with you:

"It’s all about attitude, as everything is in life. Make sure you reach out for help. Banish feelings of shame, guilt and anger, and get out there. Continue to be part of society. How a caregiver reacts is incredibly important, not only for the one who is ill, but for family and friends too, as unconsciously a caregiver can become a role model for those around. It is important to set a good example for our children; the next generation. Everybody gets ill at some point in their life, obviously to different extents, and people will remember down the road a positive or negative approach of how a caregiver handled a particular situation. Family and friends want to help a happy person, but will become estranged from angry people. Anger and bitterness gets treated like a contagion, and puts distance between you and the very people you need, and who like wise need you." 

There is much more I would like to write, as we talked for several hours, and many pertinent issues arose. I will write further on this topic tomorrow. Until then, I wish you a good day.