This article in The Guardian covers a story of Andrew and his grandma Elo who he cares for.
“To Andrew, caregiving isn’t just “glorified babysitting”. “It’s a job. And it’s a tough one,” he said. He posts to Instagram and chats online with caregivers around the country, making him one of a number of young caregivers who are attempting to demystify their jobs and push back against dementia-related stigma. One day, he hopes to go into public relations and dementia advocacy.
Still, he wonders if he meets all of his grandmother’s needs. “In an educated brain, I know I did everything” to care for Elo, he said. “In an emotional brain, it is not enough.”
As a millenial caregiver, I can relate to the pain and struggles that Andrew shares. Today caregivers have access to many resources, there are even programs that pay us to care for our family members, but it’s still not enough. The emotional toll that it takes to care and be there for someone 24/7, it’s just too much sometimes. I wish there was more we could do for caregivers.