Runner Up
Jacqueline's Story

Returning the love.

According to statistics given from Shield HealthCare, "The typical family caregiver is a 46-year-old, married, and employed woman caring for her widowed mother who does not live with her." Although I fall into the category of "family caregiver," I am not caring for my mother nor my father, but rather my grandmother and grandfather.
As a caregiver for my elderly grandparents, I am responsible for taking them to and from constant doctors appointments, I cook warm dinners for them on a daily basis, I help my grandmother bathe herself because she is incapable of doing it on her own. I clean up messes, run errands, and refill prescriptions all while attempting to get my grandmother to have a decent conversation with me. Since her health started failing, she has had drastic mood swings and occasional depression.

So here is the thousand-dollar question: What is so rewarding about this job? In 2008 when I heard that my grandmother was in poor health and my grandfather was having problems walking, I couldn't understand how the people that practically raised me as a child were so helpless now. When I was a young girl, I often times found myself being brought to grandma and grandpa's house when my parents had to work. They always played with me, cared for me, loved me, and just like many other loving grandparents; they supplied me with endless amounts of candy and chocolate. Now, many years later I am given the opportunity to return the love and affection that they had once showed me.

My grandparents never complained about having to take care of me when I was younger, and in all honesty, they should have, because I was no angel. Being a caregiver for my elderly grandparents is my way of thanking them for the endless care, love, and support that they have constantly showed me. If it were not for them, I would not be the courageous woman that I am today.

Everyone knows that life is short, and I know that my grandparents will not be around for much longer. Being their caregiver allows me to spend more quality time with them that I otherwise might not have gotten to do. I have been blessed with the opportunity to get to know my grandparents, and to spend time with them on a daily basis. Not many people can say the same. Being their caregiver has taught me that I must treasure every moment because time is the only thing that we as people can never get back. Although I can think of many other jobs that I could do that would be less stressful and possibly even more profitable, I know in my heart that no amount of money can replace the happiness that I get when I see pride and gratification in the eyes of my grandparents.

We all know that caregivers are most often the ones that have to teach and guide their clients, but what I have learned is that I was the one who is guided and taught. By being a caregiver, I learned to respect people, value equality, forgive, and love. I also gained some much-needed upper body strength, but that's another story.