At a particular stage of my husband’s illness, it became clear that the shul we were attending no longer met our needs
M
ost of us are familiar with the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” There’s some debate about the proverb’s origin, but whatever its derivation, if we tweak it a little, it resonates for those of us who are caregivers.
We have no doubt that it takes a village to care for a person who is ill, particularly one suffering from dementia. Yet caregiving under these circumstances is often a solitary job. Thus, I have tremendous gratitude toward one wonderful friend, whose help was invaluable. I’d like to see him become a role model for others.
At a particular stage of my husband’s illness, it became clear that the shul we were attending no longer met our needs. We lived about three-quarters of a mile away, and I worried that my husband z”l might get lost if he walked there by himself.
On Shabbos mornings, I had to get up and be out of the house much earlier than usual to accompany him there. This was burdensome, given that at this time I rarely got more than three or four hours of sleep a night, if that.
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