When I was 8 years old, my mom had a tragic accident that changed my family’s home life forever. It was Christmas day, and my mother was preparing our traditional dinner. It was going to be a glorious feast, but while she was making the preparations, the brand-new, electric skillet she had just received as a gift that morning had a short in it that shot 120 volts of electricity into her body and threw her across the kitchen.

At that moment, my mom’s life changed forever and so did mine. In the years that followed, her physical condition weakened and her body began to deteriorate. Those years were perhaps the most painful of her life, and without a doubt the most enduring of mine.

Taking on the challenge of home health care holds unique challenges for each and every individual, and each and every family. In our situation, my mother’s health deteriorated gradually over the course of 17 years. In other cases, I have learned of families and friends whose lives change drastically in the blink of an eye.

Living in a home health care situation is quite different than living outside of the house or working in an external capacity. The emotional and physical challenges surpass most people’s comprehension. My family’s burden was great, mostly because when we tried to help, we didn’t know if we were doing the right thing. Not knowing was unnerving and extremely stressful.

For someone who is ill, staying at home seems like the most comfortable place to be, but it also poses enormous challenges for the caregiver. My family was not ready at the time to adapt to her need to use a bedpan, get sponge baths, and have the dinner spoon-fed to her.

What is more, we soon realized that most traditional homes (including ours) are not designed to accommodate the special needs of someone who is homebound. Getting my mom in and out of bed was challenge enough. When she segued into a wheelchair, we discovered that the doors were not wide enough nor the bathroom big enough.

These are the kinds of things that most people, including some medical professionals, do not consider until they are faced with the challenge personally. It is understandable, and that is why I vowed to find a way to share the knowledge of my experience.

After 17 years of caring for my mom, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It has been 14 years since her death, and while there were some resources available at the time, I am impressed at the wealth of products and services that are now available. Furthermore, manufacturers and HME providers such as Jennifer Wyatt (see adjacent main article) have become much more sensitized to the special needs of caregivers and patients.

My dad and I hope to make a difference as well, so we created a Web site, www.HomeBoundResources.com, that offers our free tips, sent to patients and caregivers each week. We committed ourselves to researching and identifying every resource available to make life easier and more fulfilling for people who have no idea how to begin caring for their loved ones at home.

Our tips start with:
• how to deal with the challenges of caregiving and manage to stay sane;
• how to manage and organize prescriptions;
• how to tackle a bedpan;
• where to get information about accessories for bathing, eating, and traveling;
• suggestions on hiring outside help;
• tools and tips for getting out of bed and out of the house;
• insight into how my mom, a bed-bound woman, felt and perceived her most difficult and personal challenges;
• where to find additional resources in your neighborhood.

If you often hear your customers saying, “I wish there were an easier way to do this” or “I know there is a better way to do this, but I just don’t have time to figure it out,” we can offer some help and relief.

Since the launch of the Web site, I have received letters from so many people who are caring for a parent or two parents, a husband, or a sister-in-law. Every story is unique and every situation brings a tear to my eye. Your patients are truly part of a larger community of people who share similar challenges.

As difficult as my mom’s illness was, our special relationship was unlike that of any other mother and daughter I know. In honor of my mom, I can think of no greater gift to give you than to share her story—so that your journey, and the journeys of the patients you serve, are as peaceful and comfortable as possible.

It is not an easy road, and caring for my mom has impacted my entire perspective on life. It is a journey I tried to leave behind after she died, and now I realize that life’s gifts come in unexpected packages. This is a journey that every one of us will embark upon at some time in our lives. I hope that I can contribute to pulling us together as a community so that nobody goes on the road alone.

Tammy I. Glenn, MBA, is the founder of www.HomeBound-Resources.com, where she offers her personal experience as a caregiver to her mother for more than 17 years. If you or your customers/patients would like to share your story or ideas with Tammy, she can be reached via e-mail: Tammy@HomeBoundResources.com.