Ataxia

  We need to be patient with our caregivers.  I am constantly squelching the urge to scream at my husband.  I know he’s just trying to help, but every time he hears my wheelchair turn on, he asks what do you need?  He travels and I think he feels guilty for leaving me alone.  I need an on/off switch for accepting help.  When I am home alone, I do everything.  When he is home, I do nothing. Saying thank you and accepting help requires grace.  You need to learn this ASAP for your own sanity and for gratitude for your helper.  Your needs will only increase over time so you need to find your way to cope.  Unfortunately, with time, you will need more help. My doctors are constantly surprised that I still dress and feed myself.  Granted, I have made many changes to accommodate my decline.  But I hang on fiercely to those things I can still do. When I did pet therapy, that was my foremost thought.  What grace did it take for those residents to surrender all sense of independence?  I would alw