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  • ryan-berhar

    Member
    May 1, 2019 at 6:50 pm

    While my care network is small, I agree with you. Having tons of people to rely on is no doubt better than 2 or 3 people.

    • kevin-schaefer

      Member
      May 4, 2019 at 9:00 pm

      There are definitely pros and cons to both. Working with multiple caregivers can be stressful, especially when I have to teach someone new my routine. But yeah, the advantage is that I don’t have to rely on the same people all the time. Granted, my parents still do a lot for me, but the amount of stuff they do for me now pales in comparison to what it was before I had caregivers.

  • deann-r

    Member
    May 1, 2019 at 9:30 pm

    I’m somewhere in the middle with this issue. I like having a smaller group of reliable help. Of course that makes it a little difficult when someone calls out sick or quits, but the staff I have are really good about covering for each other. Currently I have 5 pca’s if you include my Mom who fills in on occasion.

    • kevin-schaefer

      Member
      May 4, 2019 at 9:05 pm

      That’s a great point. It’s definitely challenging training and managing multiple caregivers, but I like having the coverage. And I don’t know what it is, but my primary caregiver never gets sick. He and my brother have some kind of superhuman immunity to illnesses.

  • katie-elizabeth-napiwocki

    Member
    May 2, 2019 at 9:23 am

    Hi, Kevin!  I loved reading this piece! I think the discussion of caregiving topics is always super interesting.

     

    One question for everyone — do you find it challenging to avoid getting sick when you’re exposed to many caregivers?  What strategies do you use to reduce or navigate the increased exposure to germs?

    • ryan-berhar

      Member
      May 2, 2019 at 11:54 pm

      Good question. I actually think the opposite could apply. If you have a bunch of caregivers, you could hopefully fall back on someone who’s not sick. Whereas if you only have two or three people like me, you rely on them whether they’re sick or not.

    • deann-r

      Member
      May 3, 2019 at 9:53 am

      I’m not sure if it’s more of an issue with many caregivers, but I think having caregivers in general increases exposure. Usually I notice a change in their tone of voice or a stuffy nose indicating a cold before they notice themselves. By then it’s too late. After that I just have to up the elderberry and cross my fingers. What really annoys me is when the claim it’s “allergies.” Oh, okay, don’t mind me while I hand sanitize anyway.

      • katie-elizabeth-napiwocki

        Member
        May 5, 2019 at 12:47 pm

        I’m the same way with the sanitizer, DeAnn!  When I hear people say things like, “Oh it’s just a cough”…I sort of cringe because I don’t want to take the risk.  🙂

    • kevin-schaefer

      Member
      May 4, 2019 at 9:25 pm

      Thanks Katie! And great question.

      So as I said above, my main caregiver Randy never gets sick, fortunately. Since starting with the agency that I now use for Saturday mornings, I have yet to run into this issue. There was one week where a caregiver got sick and had to call out last minute, but I’d rather they do this than try to come. My parents are there as backup when a caregiver doesn’t show up.

      As far as strategies to protect myself, honestly, it’s something I need to think about more. Usually I’m just so focused on ensuring that I have coverage, that I don’t give colds and illnesses much thought.

      I take care of myself, but I can also be a little rebellious when it comes to this issue. For instance, I still go out pretty frequently during the winter when I’m advised to stay home. I’ve paid the price for this before, but I can only hibernate for so long. This past December alone, I had some kind of stomach issue and it was freezing outside, but I still went to dinner with a friend and a movie that week. I also went to a movie in February 2018, right before I had pneumonia. I was already feeling a little crummy when I went, but I was also stubborn. Both the February movie and the dinner that week in December were with attractive lady friends, so I mean..I’d have had to be in critical condition to cancel. If these were social events with one of my idiot guy friends, I’d have probably stayed home.

      Sorry, I’m a bad influence in this department lol.

      • katie-elizabeth-napiwocki

        Member
        May 5, 2019 at 12:55 pm

        Haha!! 🙂  I can’t blame you, Kevin!  I can relate to what you’re saying.  I tend to be cautious when I’m around people who are sick. My family and friends give me a heads-up if we’re planning to get together and they’re feeling under the weather. They usually leave it up to me because they know if I get sick, it’s a longer recovery period and then I have to use my nebulizer, vest machine, etc.  It’s a total pain, right? But, this past year especially, I tried bumping up use of hand sanitizer and keeping a reasonable distance if I know they’re sick.  I try to balance it because I want to be part of the fun, too. 🙂

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