Podolan letter: Caregivers

The guest opinion on the need for care for family caregivers by Sarah E. Toevs was spot-on for many families in the Treasure Valley. My husband is my sole caregiver and we are one of the fortunate few who receive respite care from Legacy Corps for veterans and military families. Legacy Corps respite care has broken the walls that we and many families dealing with disabilities face, bringing some normality back into our lives instead of the isolation that comes from forcing all of our resources into simple survival. The four hours a week my volunteer spends with me not only allows my husband time to care for himself, something caregivers often can’t do, but it gets me out of the house to do nonmedical activities, which are so important to self-esteem and social functioning but often out of the mix when we are overwhelmed by medical necessity. But many other families are still waiting because Legacy Corps needs volunteers for their respite program. Please, if you have time and the desire to really make a positive change, go back and read the Nov. 30 article, then contact Legacy Corps and volunteer. You can change lives.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Podolan letter: Caregivers."