"You Can't Pour from an Empty Pitcher"
By Jody NolandThese words of wisdom were spoken to me when my husband was dying of cancer. He was at home, under hospice care. Anyone who has walked that path knows how exhausting the role of caregiver can be.
Sleep is intermittent and anxiety is high due to the uncertainty of what each day will bring. Although friends might offer to come and help, it never feels right to leave a loved one who is dying.
As a result, the caregiver often gets more and more exhausted, more emotionally fragile, more likely to get sick themselves.