Caregiver stories(videos)

“When I look back…it was hard for others to offer help…people told me that it is difficult to come close to you when you are upset, and that is true, I just closed all the doors……but now I value all the help I got at that time”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HXZV3RCTWY&feature=youtu.be Ashu first experienced caregiving when she looked after her grandmother but full time caregiving fell upon her when her husband was unexpectedly diagnosed with Shy Dragger Syndrome.  She wanted to hide the diagnosis Read More

“You cannot play a perfectionist in every role…you WILL make mistakes, just learn from them and accept yourself as you are”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMZyUgS9HSY&feature=youtu.be Madhavi became a caregiver to her mother in law who was diagnosed with Cancer, but it was not her first time as she was already providing extra care and attention to her daughter who has special needs. Madhavi started to feel the strain of caregiving and began to feel exhausted emotionally as well as physically. With no help Read More

“What has helped me is counselling……I don’t feel ashamed of it….”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzcOHRj1eg8&feature=youtu.be When Shruti’s father was alive he was the primary caregiver to her sister who was a schizophrenic patient but that role fell upon Shruti after his death. At first it was difficult for her to take up the role as she was consumed with her own family life. She tried to deny the role, tried to run away from it by considering putting her sister in a home Read More

“I have to be strong, stronger than I was yesterday, so if you come back with that feeling, things look absolutely normal.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FpnbZ5Fn_s&feature=youtu.be Raji and her family led a peaceful life till their newly married son was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. After a few years, her son got divorced and Raji became the primary caregiver to her son. She and her husband did a lot of research on MS and realized the challenge they had ahead of them. They underwent many treatments Read More

“Support groups are the most vital…..helping each other, holding each other’s hand is the only way to go forward with this.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3D58_-CxNU&feature=youtu.be Thirty Four year old Anurag and his wife are the primary caregivers to his mother who suffers from ALS. ALS being a disease with no predictability, cure or medicine means they have to learn to live with it. His mother was a caregiver to his father who eventually died of cancer and Anurag feels that nobody realized she Read More

“Life is a very very humbling experience, it taught us how to be minimal in life, suddenly nothing really matters…..it taught us to enjoy the moments” https://youtu.be/G5OfnEWKNrE After 19 years of normal married life, Srikanth suddenly became a caregiver to his wife when she was diagnosed with ALS. Filled with shock and rage initially, it took them a couple of years to reconcile and accept her condition. Once they accepted it, they tried to live the best possible life. They Read More

“I feel if there was a support group, someone may have kept in touch with me… that would have helped me feel that someone understands what I am going through”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf4N7jpPUfQ&feature=youtu.be Anuja, had just given birth, and went from being a patient to caregiver overnight. Her daughter was born with severe birth asphyxia. Shocked by her condition, they admitted her to another hospital with neo natal care. Anuja’s trauma had just begun with their decision to put her daughter on a ventilator… Read More

“You can’t do everything..you really can’t and its not yours to do..it takes a village to caretake and so allow yourself to receive the love from other people willing to support you on your journey”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TirIStwWzgw When Shamira visited her parents she realized the tough time her mother was having taking care of her father and Shamira soon found herself in a caregiving role – which she took on for nearly twenty years. Eventually she realized that she needed assistance to keep Read More

“It’s hard work to be in tune with each other”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40FFuKAVmeQ Alice chose to look after her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s , rather than put her in an assisted living home. Her husband, Vic, stood by her decision and helps as well as they arrange their schedules every week to ensure Alice’s mother is well looked after. Although Alice is grateful to Vic for his support, in dealing with the caregiving process, they also argue with each other or Read More

“My inner doctor told me….That hug was what your patient needed, in that moment we met”  Martina is a family doctor who loves her job and patients. Being a doctor herself, Martina feels that not enough importance is given to non verbal communication like touch(physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually), in healthcare.  As a child, Martina often visited patients in a hospice and once held an old lady’s hand while she died and later, as a medical student, she met a family Read More