Your Proactive Caregiver Advocate: Dr. Cynthia Speaks!
Caregiving: The Last Wednesday Of 2020
When one takes an oath not to harm, the commitment is based on the care of others. My first love, nursing, and all its glory started with God allowing me to use my professional training to participate in “the laying on of the hands.” It is a ministry displaying an external expression of care. Over my professional career, working within the walls of an enormous tertiary hospital in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, and even in my personal journey of caring for my mother, the universal desire was centered on care, compassion, empathy, and safety.
There is no algorithm to care for others, no secret sauce or unique concoction necessary. It starts with a yearning to help and a heart to serve. It begins with the spirit that considers putting yourself in the place of someone needing care. Ask yourself, what would you want if you were the care recipient? I cannot tell you how often I would ask myself that question. It was never about my ability to perform any task to duty; it was because I wanted my mommy back, doing all the things, she did so well. I did not want to be my mother’s mother. I uncovered that caring for someone builds a form of resilience. For me, resilience is sharing my care journey with others. I have a renewed spirit to speak hope and healing to others facing a caregiving journey. On this last Wednesday of 2020, do something, say something to someone you care about and know that it does make a difference. Do it now, do it today. Don’t delay.
