COVID-19 Vaccine Brings Relief to Family Caregivers Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
The Collective Exhale Family Caregivers and the Coronavirus Vaccine
As loved ones get vaccinated caregivers breathe a big sigh of relief
Getty Images "I got the vaccine!” My mother's voice on the phone sounded pleased and a bit confused. “But I felt sleepy afterward. I took a three-hour nap.” I was jealous and relieved. Jealous at the thought of a three-hour nap and relieved that my sisters and I could relax just a little. One more booster shot to go! Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. For older adults and the medically compromised, brings a palpable sense of liberation. Watching images on the news of smiling people getting inoculated, flashing the two-fingered “V” for victory, I feel hopeful, despite the fact that the virus continues to burn through our country at an astounding rate, disrupting lives and families and . During , caregivers have layered on the of keeping everyone safe from the virus, including themselves. Once minor events, such as going to the grocery store or having a family member relieve you of caregiving for a few precious hours, must now be weighed against the risks. For all of us, it's exhausting. But for many caregivers, it's like an extra set of ankle weights. Newfound freedom
As a Sacramento, California–based restaurant reviewer and mother, Kate Washington, 48, is also a caregiver for her husband, Brad, 50, a cancer survivor who is immune-suppressed. “When I heard that he was eligible to get the vaccine, it was like letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding,” she says. “It will mean he can get out more, our kids can see a few friends and, selfishly, I won't be doing all the grocery shopping.” Washington, who has written a memoir about her unexpected caregiving journey called Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America, describes her thought process as they all went into lockdown in 2020. “It activated all my old reflexes on and support a person during a health crisis,” she says. “I found myself mentally rehearsing exactly who I'd call and what I'd do if Brad got exposed or sick. It didn't hit me until several weeks into the pandemic that I could get sick myself, and I had no plan for that!” have a unique vantage point. Bob Atighechi, 48, is a CVS pharmacist from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, who administered one of the first five vaccine shots in the country. “It was incredible to witness the immense relief, not just of the residents, but their caregivers,” he remembers. “The that our elderly have been enduring is hard to witness." AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > "Many of the to their loved ones, some of whom have dementia and other issues,” she says. “I worried about my friends and tried to stay in touch by phone.” She was determined to be by her boyfriend's side when he got the vaccine, because he had experienced allergic reactions to medications in the past. “He handled it all like a champ, with no side effects,” she says. “Seeing people again was a reminder that relationships are what matter most.” And in a final reminder that wear multiple hats, Benjamin Skov, 26, a CVS pharmacist from Coventry, Rhode Island, was able to vaccinate his own grandparents at one of the clinics. When he stopped by afterward to check on them, his grandmother dissolved into tears. “Out in the field, we see the reactions of patients and staff, but rarely the rest of the family,” he says. “I think the biggest thing for us all to remember is that for every patient who's glad to be vaccinated, there's an entire family who we put at ease." is a caregiver, speaker and author. She and her husband, Bob, cofounded the , which assists injured service members and their families. Follow her on and . MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS