Susan Campbell has been taking care of her 96 year old mother who has diabetes, high blood pressure and a little bit of dementia for many years. It’s stressful, but she feels like it’s repayment for all the years her mom took care of her: “When I was younger, my dad was never around, so taking care of her is returning gratefulness.”

Susan is not alone taking care of her mom. “My family and I are very close, everyone gets along for the most part” She and her siblings have lived in the area for the past 40 years. Susan and her husband William raised her daughter in Quaker Hill. Now their daughter has moved away, but her siblings are still local. With Covid, her two older sisters help, as her brother can’t because he has lung cancer. “We work together as a team to help each other.” In addition to the family, her mother has a caretaker who comes every day.  Susan  says Rece the caretaker is a huge help because Rece is there everyday helping Susan’s mother. Susan and sister have a rotating schedule who sees and visits their mom or sometimes they all go.

Susan feels happy, stress and gratitude to take care of her mom. She happy because she get to see her mom progress and push thru, but at the same time it can be very stressful because anything can happen at any moment be she is old, Susan feels she is returning good back to her.

Susan and her family have been taking care of her mother for years. Susan can’t really remember how this became a schedule of taking care care of her mother. But Susan doesn’t mind it’s just stressful to always make sure the caretaker is there, make sure the  medication is ready and coming.

Susan is stressed about her mother 24/7. Susan deals with her stress by cleaning, shopping or doing yard work in her yard. She said yard work is the most helpful because its therapy for her. She focuses on what she is doing and not what is happening. Susan has been doing it for many years even before her mother was sick.

My family and I take her out to eat, or she’ll come over for holiday’s such as Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I like her to get fresh air sometimes and spend time with rather than in her apartment and watch TV.

Her mother lives in the old folks home next to CLMS (Ahepa 250-2).  Susan’s mother is there because Susan’s home is too small. And she doesn’t want her mother sick with the flu, a cold or with anything. Also for financial reasons we all decided its best for her to live at the convalescent home where she has her own space.