I often say that being a family caregiver is like being the CEO of an extremely significant organization. In fact, you have become the CEO of Caring for My Loved One, Inc.  And in every way, that is true. I think another apt analogy is that we are also like military commanders gearing up to do daily battle.  Especially with regard to the gear we take into our caregiving battles:  wheelchair cushion – check; wipes – check; sunscreen –check; medical records – check; medications – check; incontinence support supplies –check and double check.  

So many things have changed (for the better) since I first took that dizzying walk through a drugstore in the late nineties, looking for such supplies for my grandparents, that I feel I was being equipped as a World War I doughboy then, compared to the options available to caregivers today.  Wheelchairs are lighter and fold into our automobiles better; medications need to be taken with less frequency, and even incontinence supplies fit snugger and are less embarrassing and more comfortable for our loved ones to wear. 

I remember the first time I needed to help my grandfather deal with his incontinence care.  I don’t know if it was more embarrassing for him or the people who walked into that Chinese restaurant restroom for the time it took us to replace his undergarment.  The truth is, the products we were using were the state of the art wear in those days.  Or the best I could manage to decipher after hours in my local chain drugstore.  I still get headaches thinking of the whirl of colorful packages, sizes and descriptions that towered over me as I walked through the incontinence product aisle. Today, as you research these products online, the choices, absorbency of materials, fits and even styles are worlds ahead of what was available just recently. 

On second thought, maybe even more that a military commander, we are all more like Batmen and Batwomen with ever improving utility belts.  Now, where is Alfred, Batman’s trusty butler, when I need him?