SEC-S13/W4| "The Role of the Caregiver ♥️ "

2 years ago, a friend of mine who got admitted in the university I was admitted had a brother who was bedridden with an illness that affected his brain. He couldn't do anything and was just numb. He was admitted into the hospital the same time my friend was admitted into the university. This tend to be a great challenge to him as he was to be the caregiver to his brother. Other brothers of his has families and won't be able to play that role of being with him all the time.

His bedridden brother was to be monitored all the time. Unfortunately for my friend, he had to spend most of his time with his brother even to the point of missing lectures. It was a very trying period for him as he had to multitask but wasn't still able to meet up. His absence from school activities made the department and not being able to meet up with good grades drop made the department drop him and it was that time his brother kicked the bucket.

What a life? After all that was spent and time wasted. What does it entails to be a caregiver and what qualities can help you play this role effectively?

As narrated above, I had a friend who experienced it but I too personally experienced it. This happened when my sister was ill for almost a week. I was the one at home. My other siblings do go to school . I tend to be a caregiver to her. The plates she used to wash and compound she used to sweep, I was solely responsible to doing all those. I was the mother of the house and it was very annoying. At some point, I began thinking she's forming the sick. It was serious typhoid and malaria.

Pixabay

Everything became a burden to me but I endured. I pictured myself in her shoes and then treated her with more compassion. In no time, she recovered and I was the most delighted. I was happy I treated her with a little patience, kindness and compassion. She was glad I didn't take it personal too.

Caring for a sick person is very stressful a mind discouraging if it's done by one person. Even though the person may at first show dedication, he would be tired someday and begin to think outside the box. Working as a team won't be discouraging as finances, care, love and time isn't just shown by one person but combined effort. I've experienced cases of how a girl killed her grandmother because she was the only one to take care of her while her mother goes to the market to find food. Out of frustration and annoyance, she poisoned the old woman and the stress was over for the girl.

Caregivers should emulate qualities such as patience, compassion, love, self-control, faith and mildness when playing that role as challenges or situations may transpired, making us throw the handle. Let talk a little on these qualities.

• Patience: If one isn't patient when caring for a sick person especially one struck with stroke, he or she might lose his temper and start saying negative words to the patient which may include blames of not being able to take care of one's health well. One may even be tempted to end the life of the person suffering so they can be relieved of the stress. Patience is really required even though we are annoyed by that person.

• Compassion and love: Love will move us to bear with whatever the person we're caring for is passing through. We would be moved to give him or her attention instead of caring for him or her grudgingly.
  
  Pexel

• Faith: is also essential especially when dealing with a loved one. Faith that he would actually pass through his struggles will give us hope and won't allow us to be emotionally downcast seeing his condition deteriorating day after day. Faith can make things happen. There are times someone who is ill I'd considered as a dead man already, a little act of faith can change everything. Even if we eventually lose the person in death, faith that we would see see him again will serve as a source of comfort to us.

• A caregiver also need to be physically fit himself as two blind men cannot lead themselves.

My advice to anybody performing this role is that they should see it as a privilege doing so and shouldn't be grudgingly about it. Picture yourself in that person's shoes. If such happened to you and no one offers to care for you or even if they care for you, they do so grudgingly, treating you disrespectfully and even going to the extent of cursing and blaming you. No one would love to experience such. What you want others to do to you, you must also do to them. Nobody wished to be a victim of circumstances so since it has finally come to stay, we can't help it. Emulating those qualities will actually help us become good caregivers who's after one's health.

I invite @usoro01, @deetalka6 and @whizzbro4eva