United Spinal's Action Online Magazine » Caregiving

Mother Night

Ziggi — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:10:58 +0000

| ASK THE COACH

By Scott Chesney

Last year I devoted one of my columns to the subject of suicide and received an overwhelming response from my readers. I want to share one of the most powerful, honest and heartfelt stories that I have ever read. It comes from, Marylyn Schwartz, the mother of a young man I knew named Clayton who, at 31, took his life. Marylyn bravely faced and accepted her son’s suicide.

After reading this for the first time, I come away neither condoning nor condemning suicide. Rather, I am relieved that a mother has been able to find peace in possibly [...]

No Shelter in a Storm

Ziggi — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:47:34 +0000

A Florida family was shocked to discover the inadequate options for people with severe disabilities in major emergencies.

By Kelly Rouba

Laura George, of Coral Springs, Florida, was three months pregnant when her husband Greg became paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a hit-and-run accident in March of 2006.

As Greg recuperated in the hospital, the couple began to plan for the accommodations he would need upon returning home. The Georges also started questioning staff about how they could best prepare for hurricane season, which was just a couple months away. “And they kept saying, ‘We don’t [...]

Caregivers 101

Ziggi — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:40:15 +0000

Caregiving, whether by a family member or professional, is a complicated subject. Here are some basics of what you need to know about this often necessary relationship.

By Rob Ingraham

With about 44 million people in America acting as caregivers for relatives, spouses, or friends with disabilities—and the looming retirement of over 75 million “baby boomers”—the issue of obtaining and sustaining competent caregivers is rapidly becoming a major question for families across the country.

To provide a basic overview of considerations for people with disabilities seeking to hire a caregiver and issues for spouses, friends, and family who are, or [...]

When Do You Let Go?

Ziggi — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:31:06 +0000

Parents of children with SCI ask themselves not only when to let their children go, but how, and even whether to let go at all.

By E.M. Treston

Statistics show the average age at which a person sustains a spinal cord injury (SCI) is between 17 and 25, a time in life when the young adult is launching out on his or her own, graduating from school, starting a career, becoming engaged and starting to do all the things that are expected to happen to an adult within a lifetime.

An SCI changes that path, at least initially. Independence, so recently acquired, [...]

GIVING CARE: Caregiving and Depression

Ziggi — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:04:28 +0000

By Linda A. Cronin

Providing care for a loved one takes a huge emotional toll on a person. Studies reveal caregivers of a parent experience symptoms of depression twice the rate of the general population, according to the Journal of Public Health. For caregivers of a spouse, the rate is six times higher. Caregivers are too busy taking care of others to take the time necessary to recognize and treat their own symptoms, but self- care is a necessity not a luxury.

“Caregiving doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Suzanne Mintz, president and co-founder of the National Family Caregiver Association (NFCA, www.thefamilycaregiver.org [...]

Polio T’N'T: The Burden of Being Cared For

Ziggi — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:24:53 +0000

By Richard L. Bruno

When people talk about caring for someone with a disability, you often hear of caregivers getting burned out. When it comes to caring for polio survivors, it’s the polio survivor who often gets burned-not out, but up.

Many polio survivors get angry when it’s suggested that they ask others for help. Actually, their anger is hiding a real fear. Most polio survivors had painful early experiences of rejection and emotional and physical abuse, often by family members, just because they’d had polio. Polio survivors learned early and often that they should look “normal” and act “normal,” never [...]