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Valerie Joseph's avatar

What a beautiful piece. I appreciate you sharing your experiences because, in general, we don’t want to “go there.” And it’s so important that we consider the real costs (emotional, financial, temporal, social, spiritual, etc.) of the choices we make on behalf of ourselves and our loved ones.

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MP Dunleavey's avatar

Thank you, Val. I think when you're responsible for someone who's older, you FEEL all those "costs", but you don't feel like you have a choice. Getting paid, getting respite, getting help -- it's hard. And it's hard to ASK. My sense, though, is that more caregivers are speaking out about what they need. Policies are changing. It's hopeful. And look--Bradley Cooper produced a documentary called "Caregiving"!! Haven't watched it yet, but I think these issues are increasingly in the spotlight, which will help.

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