April – What’s the best way to work with a caregiver?

Be assertive, be assertive, you are in control of your life. You have to tell them what you do and don’t like, what you will and will not accept and who is in charge. I had to learn that the hard way because these caregivers, they came in—and I am not saying all caregivers are like this, you got the sloth, then you got the bossy lady that wants to be mama. And then you have to ultimately remind them that you work for me, this is what I like, this is what I don’t like, this is what I’ll do, this is what I won’t do. You have to control your care, you have to direct your care, I guess that’s the better way to say it, and that’s a process to learn. So, when you get a caregiver and it’s hard for you to say you feel helpless, you feel like you’re just the patient and they’re the caregiver, so they’re supposed to know what to do. But you can’t treat it like that, it’s not the hospital. So, you have to say, “I want my lunch at such and such.” “I would like for you to make sure you’re cleaning my room.” “No, I don’t want my things placed there, I like my things to be hung up, don’t hang my clothes,” you know. It’s every little thing that matters to you, you teach them.