CareGivers Share Their Stories

In this section, caregivers share their stories of humorous or sometimes heartbreaking experiences. Anyone who has experienced caregiving will have stories of their own to tell. I have heard many people relate their caregiving stories to me. I wish I could publish every one of them. Some stories are funny while others are embarrassing or touching. Each story however, was a learning experience for the caregiver and many times for the family as a whole.

Some of the stories I've heard have been from certified nurse aides, personal caregivers or sitters. These have been stories that they tell from their experiences working in nursing homes , assisted living facilities or home health. Other stories are from family members who have taken on the role of caregiver for a loved one.

Whether you are a family caregiver or a professional caregiver, I hope that you will share your stories here so that others can benefit from what you've learned or from the mistakes you've made. This is where you can pay it forward. Caregivers share their stories is intended to help caregivers with their task of caregiving for an elderly or disabled person.

My Story



I'll share one of my experiences to kick-start this page. While working as a nurse in a hospital, I had the privilege of taking care of an elderly gentleman who had been a rancher all his life. He was a modern cowboy and had been living in his ranch by himself for years. He wasn't familiar with any of the modern conveniences we have today. He still had an outhouse and although he had electricity in his home, he used it only for his refrigerator. He had become incontinent and was not able to feed his animals nor take care of himself. He was in the early stages of Alzheimer's or dementia. A kind neighbor brought him to the emergency room of the hospital.

When we admitted him, he came in wearing his worn out jeans and boots, and a straw hat he had painted baby blue with a paint brush. He was a smoker and dipper and cussed worst than a sailor.

During the admission process, I had to show him everything in the room and how to use it, including the call button in case he needed help from one of the nursing staff.

He never quite got the hang of it though and if he needed help, he would throw his urinal or bedpan out the door of his room into the hallway. The urinal and bedpan were stainless steel in those days and the floor what marble. You can imagine the noise the bedpan made when it hit the marble floor. It was more effective than any call light button. He got the attention of everyone!

We had to change the privacy curtain several times because he used it for everything except as a privacy curtain. Explanations of what the curtain was for and placing toilet and tissue paper in front of him was useless.

I'll never forget that gentleman and remembering him recalls other memories of other patients and residents that I cared for. But I'll leave it up to you to share your caregiver stories for us to enjoy, commiserate with or from which to learn.

Other Caregiver Stories

Victoria's Story- My passion as a nurse

Won't you share your story ? It's easy, just click on the link below and start writing. Thank you for being a caregiver of people and people's hearts.

After reading caregivers share their stories or sharing your own caregiver story, please return to my home page for more useful eldercare information.