Sometimes you don’t know about the helpful services that are out there, says Christine.
Transcript
For outside help or support from the CLSC, I would say you don’t really know what’s out there as far as help. You really have to have connections, or make tons of calls, or think of asking questions to the right people in order to get the services that you might need, and also services you might not even realize you need but are out there for you. I’ve learned a lot in the last few years of those services, and I can even see an improvement in their services in the last 5 years. There’s more out there, but you need to either have a professional who is knowledgeable of the services and [who] will tell you about them so you can investigate and acquire the services, or just go for it and ask and demand and request until you get as much help as you can get from them. We were able to get more help for our mother but not until the primary caregiver—which was me—was way past being able to be a caregiver.
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- 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.