A recent NY Times op-ed piece brought to light an often overlooked segment of society. Many people find themselves as the primary caregiver to a loved one, whether an elderly parent or relative with a debilitating condition. In the article, Tom Huth relates his daily experiences tenderly taking care of his wife who for the past 20 years has suffered from progressive Parkinson’s Disease. As a lifelong marijuana smoker, Huth finds that his daily puffs are no longer strictly recreational anymore. They’ve become a necessary means to stop, unwind, and reboot his mental state to continue in his unending caretaker duties. As he says, “enjoying a hit or two on the pipe every couple of hours has granted me tens of thousands of sweet clemencies that keep me from burning out as a caregiver.”
The toll that daily 24-hour care takes on the caregiver is typically seen as minor in relation to the patient suffering a major medical illness but it’s not to be taken lightly. When a caregiver succumbs to prolonged stress and the medical implications that can follow, who then is there to take care of the patient? It might be time to write the prescription for a few “sweet clemencies” to the caregiver along with the patient.
