Stories from Caregivers: Holly from NORTH CAROLINA
NC
Holly
FROM NORTH CAROLINA
I had the ultimate joy of caring for my grandmother Nellie until her passing at the age of 90 back in 2012. From the time I was a little girl I vividly remember my grandmother always taking care of my sisters and I and my parents never having to place us in daycare. She moved wherever we were to ensure she was close by and could be with us. I was determined that I would also care for her throughout her life. My grandmother's biggest fear was being placed in a nursing home. I met my husband Joe at the age of 35. Prior to this, it was always "me and Gramma." My husband is a builder and when we built our home a short time later he built our entire lower level for my grandmother. He made it handicap accessible so she would not fall or trip on things. We lived in the upstairs portion of the home and I worked most of the time from home and it enabled me to be there with her. She was pretty self sufficient with the exception of her dementia. Joe and I would help fix her meals and give her medications. My job also allowed me to take leave time to ensure she got to doctor appointments and that I could be with her to hear what the doctor's had to say. I would say my greatest challenge during this time was not being able to find a person that I would trust with my grandmother or trust in our home when we would go out of town. I also find this in my current job in that it is difficult to find good caregivers and ones that the elderly population can afford. My grandmother ended up living with us for six years before she passed away at the age of 90. I was actually home on the morning that she had a stroke and was blessed to have been able to be there to ensure she safely got to the hospital. She did not make it long after going to the hospital. The lovely Hospice team was with us and my grandmother just "went to sleep" and was never uncomfortable or aware of what was going on. I would not trade this experience of caregiving for anything. It was such a blessing to be able to give back to the one who gave to me all the years I was a child. It also helped me to grow into a more patient and compassionate person overall.
