TRC

Caregiving 101

On or about 2014, I learned mom was almost blind from an issue with a nerve in one eye and glaucoma in the other.  She lived alone in her home and so safety was a concern.  I switched her flip phone to a smart phone and set up Google Voice on it so that she could call me, my sister or friends whenever she needed.  Otherwise, she could take care of herself. 

I visited mom once a week to make sure she had groceries and any other needs.  My sister took care of her finances, and we shared the task of taking mom to doctor, dentist and other appointments she needed.

In April 2022, my sister suddenly passed away from cancer and mom was now my full responsibility.  There were other members of the family, but no one able to care for mom.  I had a full time job and a side business and so I was completely caught off guard and unprepared for the responsibility that was now in front of me.

In this section and what I call "Caregiving 101", I share the tasks I had to focus on first and immediately.  Your experience may be different.

Important Documents
Assisted Living - General Info
Applying for Medicaid
Finding Caregiving Relief
Taking Care of Yourself
Mom's Story

This website describes all the issues I encountered beginning in 2022 involving mom’s finances, housing needs, healthcare needs and more.   For each topic, I’ll share a brief experience with mom and then provide general information and resources that I hope will help you in your journey.

I started building this website in August 2024 shortly after mom passed away and while information was still fresh on my mind.  One of the first lessons I learned was that no one will understand what you are going through unless they have experienced this caregiving journey.  I hope this website begins to shed some light about this experience to those who don't know or understand.  This experience can be frustrating, stressful, very disruptive to your life and fulfilling all at the same time.  And, if you have aging parents, aging grandparents or other loved ones that you may be responsible for in the future, you will experience this caregiving journey.  The age of the cargiving recipient doesn't matter since anyone can become afflicted by illness or injury at anytime forcing them to become dependent on others for their care.

My experience occurred in Florida.  If you live in another state, access to local resources in your area may not appear on this website at first.  But I am continuously working to research and share information to include resources for other states wherever possible.  There will be federal resources listed as well as private sector services offered across several states that you can take advantage of.

It is my sincere hope that this website helps to reduce the stress, anxiety and frustration that you may experience on your caregiving journey.

Where you begin depends a great deal on your current situation.  Below are important areas to pay attention to.