They say I wipe butts all day, that I'm overworked and underpaid. But when we're honest, that caregiver in the memory care unit or assisted living facility your Mom lives in is underappreciated for the things they do.
That caregiver spends the night with your mother, helping her to and from her bedroom, and comforting her when she misses her husband who died not that long ago.
That caregiver works 8, 10, 12, and 16 hour days.
That caregiver gets your mother up in the morning for breakfast, making sure she gets her coffee or tea, and her breakfast just the way she likes it.
That caregiver doesn't get paid very much.
That caregiver makes sure your mother takes her medication, and is patient when it takes half an hour for her to down that 5 pills.
That caregiver gives your mother a hug in the morning and at night, and tells her that they love her.
That caregiver does your mothers hair in the morning, and helps her get dressed.
That caregiver knows what will make your mother smile when she is having a bad day, and can make her laugh.
That caregiver might be having a bad day, but is still at work, caring for your mother.
That caregiver paints your mother's nails in her favorite color, making her smile.
That caregiver kneels on the bathroom floor, helping your mother to change her pants after she had an accident, and laughs at the joke she just told, even when they don't find the joke funny.
That caregiver loves seeing your mother happy, and is happy when your mother is well taken care of.
Yes, that caregiver wipes your mother's butt.
That caregiver sits with your mother, holding her had as she is dying, allowing you to take some time for yourself, and mourns the loss of your mother when she does die.
That caregiver that you think only wipes your mothers butt is the person who is with your mother day in and day out, loving, caring, cleaning, and loving your mother when you can't do it anymore.
That caregiver isn't rich monetarily. But they are rich in something else--rich in love and memories.
That caregiver makes a difference and is more than what you think and see.
