Dear Sweet Mama: Caregiving for a loved one during the Covid 19 Pandemic

Caregivers! Do you ever feel completely alone? Did you provide Care during Covid 19? The act of Giving Care is not for the faint of heart and to be sure it is a Labor of Love! The Covid 19 pandemic created an upside-down world for all of us. Factor in the act of Caregiving, for an elderly, cognitively impaired parent and suddenly navigating an upside-down world is being done blind-folded and gagged. The difficulty was unimaginable. Dear Sweet Mama is a journey, equal parts enveloping and gripping. My family and I did our best, feeling our way through how to best care for our mother, Ninita Smith, as buildings closed to visitors and families were left in the dark.

Julie Peatt Cassaday, youngest of five Smith children, tells this story through letters she wrote to her mother after each visit. These letters were then posted on Facebook, originally intended to be an online journal, archiving time spent with her beloved mother. However, Julie soon realized the impact of sharing, in real time, the raw moments as they unfolded during an unrecognizable time. The feedback was validating but also shocking, so many friends had experienced similar caregiving roles. Some were still in the throes of it and shared the pandemic experience alongside her.

This singular story shines a light on the role of a caregiver, the professionals, the family members, and the person for whom the care is needed. Though there is heart break in watching a loved one disappear a little bit every day from dementia, there are equally as many gifts - if you take the time to look for them. Often the gifts show up in hindsight, long after the loved one leaves this Earth. As you turn the pages of Dear Sweet Mama, Julie has this to say: "You will feel your heart on this ride and I hope too, that you will smile as you wipe away a tear. This journey is for you and about you just as much as it is about me. All of us will have a time in life where we care for someone and we are so close to the end of another's journey that it takes our very own breath away."