About Lex
Author, Caregiver Advocate, and Occasional Badass
My Caregiver Journey
We all become caregivers to a loved one for different reasons. A family member has an accident, becomes ill, or simply grows too old to care for themselves, and while some of us may be naturally equipped or prepared for the job, others may struggle with the additional responsibilities it adds to our already overextended lives. I was definitely the latter.
My Caregiver Journey
We all become caregivers to a loved one for different reasons. A family member has an accident, becomes ill, or simply grows too old to care for themselves, and while some of us may be naturally equipped or prepared for the job, others may struggle with the additional responsibilities it adds to our already overextended lives. I was definitely the latter.
How My Life Turned Upside Down
Up until my experience of caring for my parents, I lived in Los Angeles, I had a career in television that I loved, and most everyone in my family lived until a ripe old age and died in their sleep. No one had debilitating illnesses. No one suffered. They were simply alive one minute and then gone the next. But that all changed when my parents got sick.
First my father, then my mother. And while my father would be gone in seven months, my mother would slowly disappear over a decade as Alzheimer’s slowly stole the life she had one brain cell at a time.
How My Mother’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Changed Me
Having spent twenty years working in live television I had become a pro at putting out fires when they popped up. No matter how much you may have rehearsed for a show, when the cameras start rolling, you just never know what can happen. Your brain learns to problem solve at warp speed, so that if a situation does arise, you’re usually ready for it.
Although, no amount of prepping could have prepared me for what laid ahead with my mother, I knew I needed a plan. A plan on how I was going to care for her. A plan on how I was going to afford that care. And a plan on how to navigate this new and final chapter of our lives. So, I packed up my life and my TV career in Los Angeles and moved back to the east coast to be closer to her, and to the rest of my family.
That Which Does Not Kill Us Makes Us Stronger
Through trial and error and a lot of research, I managed to navigate the next decade of my mother’s care with fortitude and grace. Avoiding being crushed both financially and mentally by the situation, and actually becoming a better and stronger person because of it.
I truly wish you didn’t have to be here. I honestly wish I had never been there myself. But if everything my mother and I went through means that I can help you in some way, shape, or form, then at least it all wouldn’t have been in vain.
xo, Lex
