Christine was so caught-up in caring for her mother that she never resolved her employment situation.
Transcript
I was not expecting to lose my job, and certainly we were expecting my father eventually to die. So, I think his death and losing a job at the same time in my life was very hard on me but I had to push it behind me in my head because my mother was becoming more and more in need of help. So I was in mourning in a way, and also becoming more and more of a caregiver. That gave me a sense of, like I knew what I was doing. There was a focus, a sense of knowing the situation. I’m taking care of mom’s house and I’m helping mom. So, I knew I could deal with that. […] Something concrete, whereas my father’s illness and his death was something I had to learn to accept or live with. I had never lost a parent before. I had never… and the way I lost my job was… I was like stabbed in the back. It was one of those bad situations, and that was very frustrating to me. So instead of maybe really dealing with those 2 things—the loss of a job and my father&’s death—taking care of a house and my mom was something—or she was appreciating it. […] It was concrete and I could get, I could feel pride doing it. I was helping her remain in her home and I felt pride in doing it.
More content
- Additional Supports Needed for People Living with Long COVID – ChristineChristine wishes there was more information about long COVID specifically for employers.
- Support from Employers, Colleagues, and Worker’s Compensation Boards – ChristineChristine is only allowed to use her sick days midweek even though a Monday or Friday would give her more recovery time.
- Advice to Healthcare Providers – ChristineChristine describes the potentially serious impacts of an insensitive conversation on a patient.
- Impacts on Partners and Households – ChristineChristine worries that she is often too sore to welcome physical contact from her husband.
- Support from family and friends – ChristineChristine’s sister criticized her for the way she was caring for their mother, and accused her of being selfish and abandoning their mother.
- Navigating the system – ChristineSometimes you don’t know about the helpful services that are out there, says Christine.
- Impact on professional life and career – ChristineChristine was so caught-up in caring for her mother that she never resolved her employment situation.
- Impact on health – ChristineChristine was so exhausted that she reached a point where she considered suicide.
- Hospitals and facilities – ChristineChristine realized she had to leave her mother’s home to protect herself. When she left, her mother moved to a care facility.
- Home care and live-in caregivers – ChristineInteraction with the home care staff was difficult for Christine’s mother as she kept meeting new people.