Avi Paluch cared for his wife Kita who lived with cancer for 12 years. In this article, we asked what top pointers he could share with new carers based on his experience.
Why was it important for you to be able to provide care at the end of life?
For me, it was an opportunity to further cement one’s loving bond by being there for your loved one. While there were challenges, there were also rewards for me.
In caring for Kita, I was able to witness the beauty of how our human spirit rally - both hers and those doing their bit to give us support. All these enabled her to remain at home for as long as practicable. Further, I was able to learn new skill sets and partake in another kind of tender loving care.
Carers experience a lot of challenges in the course of caring, but were there rewards for you?
Be mindful that the caring role is challenging and frustrating, yet rewarding! So it is important that you ask for help and accept any offers of support and assistance for both small and demanding tasks.
Do not try to do everything. It is also important that you ensure your own self-care because if you don’t take care of yourself, how will you manage to be fully present and be able to stay the distance?
Lastly, learn about and seek out palliative care as it can enable your loved one to be more comfortable physically, emotionally and in other various ways.
"It is important that you ensure your own self-care because if you don’t take care of yourself, how will you manage to be fully present and be able to stay the distance?."
Have some questions you want answered? Send it to us at carerhelp@flinders.edu.au