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A year of living and caregiving through COVID-19 has pushed many caregivers beyond their physical, emotional and mental limits. I know that I am probably like many other caregivers, struggling to survive a global health crisis with little or no respite.
The compounded fatigue, daily stressors, isolation and no ability to bring in assistance because of the coronavirus make caregiving seem impossible sometimes. I know I have hit the “I can’t do it” wall during the last 12 months of pandemic caregiving.
It is time for respite care for me and, I imagine, most informal caregivers.
What is respite care?
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Feeling isolated and alone was already a problem for seniors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with social distancing measures causing nursing homes to suspend most visits to prevent their populations from becoming ill, the loneliness epidemic became even more exacerbated.
To combat feelings of isolation among this population, dramatist and director Aleta Barthell is leading an effort to help seniors in nursing homes and hospice care share their life experiences through a new series of monologues called “Saving Stories.”
Funded by a $5,000 Humanities For All Quick Grant from California Humanities, the New Village Arts project aims to create a connection toolkit to help seniors cope with feelings of loneliness during the pandemic.
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As one of six daughters, Leonor Garrison shares caregiving duties for her mother, Maria Rosario Nieblas, who has high blood pressure and early symptoms of memory loss or dementia.
Garrison first connected with the Southern Caregiver Resource Center at a health fair about three years ago, and soon after began taking workshops and classes to improve the care she provides.
In addition to her role as a caregiver, Garrison is a mom of four and grandmother of two. While caring for her husband when he was sick, she started to feel overwhelmed, so the most important lesson she has learned from the SCRC classes is the importance of caring for herself.
In the beginning of 2020, my wonderful wife Maria and I had officially retired after working and serving our community for over 40 years. She had been volunteering at Lilian J. Rice Elementary School in Chula Vista and also in the Mi Escuelita program for children that come from homes where there is domestic violence. The children are in need of therapy and love.
I retired from my career in law enforcement, then decided to work part time for the Zalkin Law Firm. It represents victims of sexual abuse. I felt this was my calling since I had extensive experience and passion for helping these victims for more than 20 years.