A caregiver's lifestyle

Lifestyle/Technology | Patients are family to health aide Gwen Dickson | Susan Olasky

Photo by Susan Olasky

"Ok, Miss Ida. I'm going to roll you over . . . I'm going to fix your hair now . . . Your socks got to match." Common words, uttered in gentle tones, but the situation—the preparation of my mother-in-law's body for the arrival of the undertaker—etched the moment in my memory and captured Gwen Dickson's approach to her job as a health aide to the elderly.

For more than two years Gwen, who will be 60 next year, cared for Ida Olasky as she turned 89, then 90. Ida at first was stubborn and didn't understand why she needed an aide. Gwen, caregiver and guard dog, endured Ida's wrath. She also served as advocate, making sure that Miss Ida's dementia didn't keep her from getting what she needed from the nursing home's professional staff.

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January 31, 2009, Vol. 24, No. 2

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