Caring for a Spouse in
Your Senior Years:
“Do I have to do everything around here?”
Anita Jenkins
Brochures and websites about retirement usually feature images of older couples golfing,
vacationing in warm climates, and dining at fine restaurants.
“I never imagined it would be
like this,” says one woman who
assisted her increasingly disabled
husband for several years and
could seldom leave the house
except for fitness activities and
grocery shopping. And this was
pre-COVID-19. “But you do what
you have to do,” she says.
This scenario for aging couples
is more common than most
of us want to believe. In 2012,
Statistics Canada reported that
more than one million caregivers
in Canada were over age 65.
I talked to four different people
about this topic, and this is what
they had to say.
In a calm and accepting voice,
Joan talks about dealing with
her husband’s struggle with
Parkinson’s. Over a period of ten
years there has been a gradual
decline, both physically and
mentally. “It is up and down;
we’ll see; what next?” she says.
Joan has experienced not only
stress and worry and loss, but
also increasing responsibilities,
including handling the couple’s
financial affairs. “Even my time
away during the day becomes
more and more limited,” she says.
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