Senior Home Health Care Denver - A Better Understanding of “Empathy”
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009Senior Home Health Care Denver - My Journey to Understanding the Challenges of our Seniors
The transition from a normal, independent middle-aged person to one with incapacitating Guillian Barré Syndrome is not a pleasant one. A three-week hospital stay and countless diagnostic tests resulted in my GBS diagnosis. This is an insidious immune system disorder that causes severe nerve and muscle damage. My case is much less severe than many who are afflicted with it, but it still caused a paralysis that made me fall numerous times ultimately resulting in a broken ankle.
I’m glad to finally be home, but I currently have to rely on a walker to move around. Daily mundane tasks like running the vacuum, driving a car and watering plants are still out of my ability range. My feet and hands are not working properly; the broken ankle is the least of my problems.
On a positive note, this experience has given me a new appreciation for the challenges that so many people face every day. I’ll never look at a person using a walker or a cane in the same way again; I will always wonder what chain of events led them to that predicament. Severe illness can take you to a dark place. I have been fortunate, until now, to be a very healthy adult and never visited this very frightening place before—one that forces you to realize that circumstances beyond your control can result in a loss of your independence.
Even though very little is known about the causes of GBS and there is no cure for it, the nerve damage generally reverses itself. The time frame for the reversal varies from individual to individual. There is hope for full recovery; many other illnesses do not offer this hope. This experience has taught me to “empathize” with those who are dealing with severe health issues. I have a better understanding of their fears and their hopes for recuperation.
Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care