When my husband, Larry, lost his ability to move his body due to dementia, I became his guide and assistant. Getting in and out of bed, transporting him to appointments or family events, and managing routine activities at home required my body to help his, and my back was often aching.
I wasn’t prepared for the physical abuse I would endure. As a result, I ended up with rounds of physical therapy (PT), which meant many appointments, exercise lists and ice packs alternating with heating pads. All of this added to my long to-do list and took away from time with Larry.