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I will be honest. I hate being a caregiver. I don't take care of my husband. I take care of someone that looks like my husband. Lately, I stay so frustrated and ill with him. He told me to quit being ill with him and mind you there is nothing wrong with his mind. I love him, but lately I just don't know what to do about my attitude. I pray to God everyday to help me. Everyday I mess up with my mouth in gear. I need prayers for me and my husband.

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The way I found this forum was one day I googled "I hate being a caregiver". I am not sure why I did that or what I expected other than I was feeling lonely, frustrated, resentful, tired, trapped. It led me to this forum.

I got on to a thread where this woman was literally suicidal, she was so depressed from caregiving and having no life. I realized there were others like me and that I was not a terrible daughter and wife. I wasn't suicidal but did realize I was experiencing compassion fatigue as well as physical fatigue and depression. I set the bar high for myself and kicked myself when I too, got snippy, snappy, crabby and shrill with them.

I had it in my head , well, it was put there with the assistance of many family members that I should be enjoying this. That I should be grateful. Happy even.
Did not know why my life did not look like all the glossy caregiving pamplets and commericials. I recall one commerical of a lovely elderly woman standing on the steps of her beautiful home with two beaming attractive adult children. The guilt line was something like "dad made us promise not to ever put mom in a home".
Yeesh.
So much is thrown at us, telling us how we SHOULD feel, and if you don't the guilt and self criticism sets in, which leads to depression...and so on.
I found so much help, hope and acceptance here. It's my sane place when my life gets too intense. Welcome and I hope you find support here as well.
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Christservant Mar 2021
Boy do I know this to be true.
I tell men and women that make stupid comments like she is your mother so you have to take care of her or she is a good ol girl that I am more than willing to have them come in and take care of her for a month so I can have some time off for the first time in four years. It shuts them up fast.
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I think the question should have been "Be honest, how many LOVE being a caregiver? There'd be a lot less replies to read.
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Jbird58 Mar 2021
Good point!
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Thanks for your honesty. I also hate being a caregiver for my wife. She's had Parkinson's disease for 18 years but 3 years ago she was diagnosed with Capgras syndrome which is a dementia associated with Parkinsons and Lewey body dementia. The short story is she doesn't know who I am and accuses me of being an impostor. She says her husband lives someplace else and I should quit trying to be him. She knows everyone else in our family - our kids and grandkids, siblings, nieces, nephews and even her in-laws (my family) and they all tell her that I am her husband, but it just doesn't compute. It's really frustrating because her physical needs have gotten worse in the last year and it all falls on me. I basically can't leaver her alone for more than a couple of hours and, with the pandemic, no one will help me out to give me a break. Sometimes I absolutely hate my life. I love her but a lot of the time I really don't like her. She's just not the same person. It's really tough on me. My life really sucks!
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BurntCaregiver May 2021
Jbird58,

You need some help with your wife's caregiving. If you and her have family talk to them and see who's willing to help out with her to ease some of your burden.
No matter how much you love someone, it is a tremendous burden to be their caregiver. Especially when they've got dementia. No one can be the sole caregiver for a sick person with dementia and keep that going indefinitely because it will harm you. What happens to your wife if you get sick or God forbid, died? She goes to a nursing home. Well this happens more often than not when one person has all the caregiving responsibility on them.
My cousin married a man 18 years older than her. They were together for years. He got dementia and she became his caregiver. She didn't ask for help because she believed it was her sole responsibility to take care of him. This went on for a few years. I'd see her once in a while and each time she's look more tired and drawn. I tried talking her into some homecare to help, but she refused and always said it's fine.
It wasn't fine though. She died suddenly of a heart attack when she was 59 years old. That was five years ago. Her husband went into a nursing home and he's still there.
Please stop trying to go it alone as your wife's caregiver. You need help and that's nothing to be ashamed of.
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Sylvia, you are not experiencing anything the rest of us haven't, at one time or another. It SUCKS watching a stranger take over the body of someone you love. I am repeating something a dear friend told me, that helped me tremendously.
You have to acknowledge your anger. Stand in front of a mirror and look yourself in the eye and say "I am so angry this happened to my husband, and it's OKAY to be angry. I hate this disease and what it is doing to him. I know it's not his fault". Then ask for grace and patience to deal with the issues that arise. Do it as often as you need to. It does help. I used to yell at my husband when he would do something bizarre. By acknowledging that I was angry at the disease, I found acceptance that allows me to be kind and compassionate. Sending you a giant hug, because we all know what you are going thru.
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SylviaT Mar 2021
Mapke3044
I thank you so much for your advice. I am not a bad person and I believe in God and am a Christian. I will try what you're saying and thank you for not being judgmental. Hugs back!🤗
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How can some people really feel as if it’s a “privilege” is beyond me!
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funkygrandma59 Mar 2021
I have to say that while we are in the throngs of caregiving everyday, it often doesn't feel like it's a privilege, but once our loved one is gone, we come to realize that it not only was a privilege, but also an honor to care for them. At least that has been my experience. And I've said it on this forum before, and I will say it again, that if I had to do it all over again, as hard as it was, I would, because my husband deserved that much.
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Sylvia,
I know how you feel. I too pray everyday for God to help me in every way. To give me strength, understanding, wisdom, to tame my tongue, and much much more! I am always frustrated, angry, resentful, exhausted and burned out!

I'll pray for you and you can pray for me and maybe together will get through this!

Hugs!!!
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Mom145 Mar 2021
Please include me in those prayers. I will also include all Caregivers of AgingCare on this earth in prayer.
This is truly a challenging and exhausting career. I am constantly working on my attitude. I breathe a bunch! I truly work hard on not saying what I'm thinking. I call a friend. Heck, I have called customer service to just talk to somebody different! I drink a glass of wine occasionally.
I do not work for a company. I consider this caregiving my job, so I treat it as such.
I pray extra prayers for those who work for companies and also care for love ones too.

I incorporate creativity in my day as much as possible in caregiving. I play music, dance in the living room, watch movies or have tea time and talk. We color children's books, word search books or just take a walk to the mailbox. Sometimes we just walk from the front door to the back door inside the house. We write letters. I have learned to not push them.
I do seek help. No help is turned away. I've learned to relax. When they sleep, I sleep. When help is here I often go for a drive.
I BELIEVE, God WILL send what I need. If I ask. Not what I want but what I NEED.

Whatever I do for me. I do for my love ones. I do it today, I don't do it tomorrow. It is exhausting and there are often no rewards. Breathe.
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I think people go into caregiving for various reasons.

If caregiving continues for an extensive period of time, they will most likely grow to absolutely hate it.

Plus, how many people secretly hate it but for whatever reason they won’t openly admit that they hate it?

Don’t ever doubt that burn out is real.

People who don’t think that caregiving is hard, have probably never done any caregiving in their lives.
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I hate being a caregiver for my mother. My mother was not a nurturing type of person when she was raising me. I was able to push my feelings to the back of my mind for decades, and we got along fine. Now that I am caring for her, I find all this resentment towards her is rushing back, and at 65, I am feeling upset about things that happened to me as a child. Is this common?
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Crazysue Mar 2021
I don’t know if it’s common, but I don’t like being my Moms caregiver either. I think it is common for caregivers to feel resentment especially if they have been doing it for a long time. 15 months ago I with a little help from her Dr moved her into Independent living and it was helpful. They have 3 levels of care so she can get assisted living or SNF when needed. It was so much better for me as she is a hypochondriac and was calling daily so I would come or calling 911. I was exhausted and angry. (She is 91 and forgetful but pretty healthy)
Covid was sort of a blessing for me and I don’t feel as angry because I cant/don’t see her that often. I also became resentful because I also would think of my childhood. This forum has been wonderful for me. No one knows what this is like until they do it. If there is any way you can place her somewhere, do it. It’s so much better. I have vowed not to do this to my children. Sending warm thoughts your way.
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Can I raise both hands and say I absolutely hate being a caregiver?
I just don't want to take care of another old person. The thought of it makes me sick. No one is alone in absolutely despising caregiving.
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Me, I hated it...everything about! I hated the way it made me feel...I hated feeling like my life wasn't mind & a prisoner...I even hated shopping for my mother...I hated taking her to the Drs...I hated that everything was a argument...I hated that I could not seem to do anything right...I hated everything about it...I just plain hated it! Sorry for the rant!
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Nazdrovia May 2021
I totally emphathise with your plight and understand as I'm in the same boat now.
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