‘Take Care’ is a very commonly used expression while parting. Even in our Support group meetings, Ms. Sudha Meiyappan, our Founder would often mention “Caregivers please take care of yourself first, before you can take care of your loved ones”. I honestly did not understand what all this fuss was about.
However, I understood the significance during early hours of a Wednesday morning on 15th July 2020, when I experienced a small episode through an SOS call from my wife from the adjoining room, ‘Vasu please come soon…I need help.. I have fallen..’. Realising the importance of sleep for joyful living and to protect her from my giant sized snoring, we agreed on this adjacent room arrangement.
Despite my wife’s repeated call for help, being a PD patient, I cannot kick off from the bed just like that. To get off safely I need to execute 2 or 3 standard moves slowly – from lying to sitting posture after a couple of ‘in-bed exercises’, vibrate by jerking my thigh muscles and get off from the bed to a standing position after ensuring body balancing etc. This may look silly to a common man.
The crying reminder from next room continued ….’Come soon.. Vasu’. Thanks to my preaching/ teaching skills for mind steadiness, I did not rush up and create confusion. I thanked my controller – my mind, for safe movement of my body to the next room.
Thank God the fall was not fatal. My wife was on her way to wash room when she experienced giddiness, and had slipped. It was likely to be vertigo as opined by our Doctor. My wife is still not back to feeling normal and continues to take medication. Her oft-repeated worrying statement is, “ Who will take care of you if I fall sick like this”. She answered the question herself by taking care of her needs first.
Hence, I have learnt from this experience that caregivers should not underrate the importance of selfcare. Your family member affected by PD cannot exist without YOU! So your self-care should involve supplementing your food with energy boosters and also resting your body at regular intervals.
An ancient Tamil saying will sum this accurately – சுவர் இருந்தால் தானே சித்திரம் எழுத முடியும் – Only if there is a wall, can you paint!
