Sooner or later, it’s highly likely that you will end up helping to care for a family member at the end of his or her life. We can say that with confidence because we just surveyed 2,015 adults about end-of-life matters, and 40 percent said they have experienced this wrenching life passage (look for lots more information from this survey in a few months in a report we’re preparing on the subject).
My own initiation into this club happened abruptly when my parents, who had previously been in good health, received cancer diagnoses within six weeks of each other. I lived 1,300 miles away and had a full-time job and two young kids. Like most people, my siblings and I were unprepared for our new and unwelcome role.
As it turned out, my dad passed away four months later, while my mother recovered and lived for another 12 years before succumbing to a second, unrelated cancer. Thankfully, both were cared for by an excellent hospice program in the small Iowa city where they lived. Without that, I don’t know how we would have managed.
If you have a story about your caregiving experience that you would like to share, we want to hear it. Your experience will help us as we prepare our report—and may help others, too.
—Nancy Metcalf
Share your story
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2006-2014 Consumers Union of U.S.
