Inez feels she has to rely mostly on herself. She hasn’t been able to see a physician since hers retired.
Transcript
Well the doctor situation in town here now is really bad. A few years ago they had ten doctors and now they’re down to three. And it’s practically impossible to get an appointment. And a lot of people, they take advantage of a situation by going into emergency when it’s not an emergency, and I won’t do that. I won’t do that so… But the doctor that we’ve been going to since we quit the one up north, he’s now retired. So, what do you do? There are three doctors there, and two of them are from South Africa, and one of them is from Cuba. So they don’t really know western Canada lifestyles. I mean, their medical knowledge might be great, but they don’t know a lot of causes and effects that would affect people and their health.
So, to get an appointment with a doctor, well I haven’t even tried. I have a situation here, I have to fill out a form for a disabled person and I have to have a doctor write three or four pages of stuff regarding it. Well, I don’t know when or if I’m ever going to be able to get it done. They wanted it in 30 days. Well, it’s been about 15 days now. And so, I don’t know if I can get the doctor to do anything. And if we don’t go back to the doctor that’s retired, the other doctors know nothing about my husband. Sure, they have the papers there at the clinic, but they’d have to take an hour to read them before they finally figured out what he needed or something. And so, it’s a problem. It’s a real problem, yeah. So I rely mostly on myself to find out and do that which is the best thing to do.
More from: Inez
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- What is it like to be a caregiver? – InezIt takes a lot of patience and it is not easy, but for Inez, it is a labour of love.
- Uncovering how and why caregivers care – InezInez and her husband have lived together for 64 years. She does not see the caregiving as a problem, but rather as a part of their life together.
- Health system issues – InezInez feels she has to rely mostly on herself. She hasn’t been able to see a physician since hers retired.
- Caring for yourself – InezWhen things get tough, Inez tries to be patient and feel thankful for what she has.
- Advice for other caregivers – InezInez suggests being patient. You just need to hang in there and grin and bear it; you never know what blessings will come your way because of the way you acted.