22B. From Sibling to Primary Caretaker + Caregivers (Pt 2 of 2)

19/12/2023 1h 11min

Listen "22B. From Sibling to Primary Caretaker + Caregivers (Pt 2 of 2)"

Episode Synopsis

It's already tough being a primary caretaker for your sibling, but it's nice to have a caregiver because we still deserve to live our lives too. And also have income. Listen to Susan's scary stories about finding the caregiver right for her situation because it was tough.
In this episode we talk about:

Check out the previous episode to hear about Susan’s brother and his disability
Reference to Cheryl’s episode (check out episode 11)
Getting services for her brother and her very long battle with the process
You don’t have to take the first caretaker that you’re given, it’s a meet and greet 
Going through LOTS of people and horror stories before finding the right caretaker for her brother
When the fit is right with the caretaker, there is a family integration
“Spyware” is helpful in certain situations
Her advice to fellow siblings to be aware of the level of commitment if they’re considering taking their sibling in under the same roof
Guardianship and medical insurance
Reflecting back on her mom 
Laughing about things in retrospect (obviously not funny in real time)
“Today is going to be the best day” and also letting go of who are siblings used to be versus who they are now
Having a support network for us
The importance of transition programs
Susan’s encouragement to fellow siblings (plus some for parents)

More Info:

Check out the blog and contact Charlene here: https://thespecialneedssiblingpodcast.com/
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Support the podcast on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thespecialneedssiblingpodcast

Music by:

AlexGrohl from Pixabay
QubeSounds from Pixabay