We All Need Support Sometimes
“May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.”
This Irish blessing carries a special meaning for me this year. A little over a year ago, my husband suffered a stroke that turned our world upside down. In an instant, life became a whirlwind of hospital rooms, medical decisions and uncertainty.
We thankfully made it through to the other side. His recovery has been nothing short of a miracle – combined with a lot of hard work – and we are once again enjoying the life we feared we had lost.
I know many of you reading this column have experienced something similar. Your loved one becomes at the mercy of endless exams, treatments and interventions. As a caregiver, you find yourself immersed in daily advocacy and negotiating the complex and often deeply disappointing and frustrating world of medical insurance.
Family members – along with their fears and relationship complexities – are suddenly at your door. Life in general becomes both overwhelming and highly focused at the same time. The primary focus is about saving your loved one’s life – and your life as it was prior to the medical event that upended it.
And your support system becomes a critical part of your existence.
My work experiences with Aging and Adult Services in our county taught me that isolation can be dangerous for seniors. It can lead to breaking down support systems and depression. Based on this knowledge, I became determined to become a part of the Orinda community when we moved here from Berkeley a few years ago.
I became a board member of The Orinda Association and my involvement with them resulted in caring support during our crisis, including finding a kind board member at my front door on a cold and rainy night bringing me a meal and good wishes.
Once my husband was back home, I was reminded of our wonderful Seniors Around Town program, which provides support in the form of offering rides to appointments for seniors, and subsequently provides support for caregivers by freeing up time for self-care.
I cannot say enough about how important it is for caregivers to prioritize taking care of themselves during a crisis. Allow people to take care of you, to bring you meals, to visit you and listen to you. It is all part of the journey to recovery.
The Orinda Association isn’t just about events – it’s about neighbors lifting each other up, one act of kindness at a time. We are looking for new board members to help continue this mission.
We host wonderful fundraisers each year to support our Seniors Around Town program and those fundraisers include our renowned 4th of July Parade and Classic Car Show.
We have a huge need for drivers for our Seniors Around Town program, and the experience of helping seniors by providing them with this service and the blessing of your company will truly elevate your life and theirs. (Volunteers can drive as often or as little as they like.)
We are also always looking for volunteers to help with our fundraisers. We appreciate high turnout for our events and they are an opportunity to spend a fun day with your community members. Who knows, you might make a friend or two!
In honor of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day, I leave you with another Irish blessing:.
“May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.”
