Spouse’s diabetes impacts the entire family
Janice Lynch Schuster The Capital July 16, 2006
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It is hardly unusual for a spouse, parent, or friend of an fully competent, functioning adult with a chronic disorder, especially if that disorder requires a intricate treatment program, to become a sort of caregiver-by-default, albeit for an autonomous rather than dependent client. Without at least the active cooperation of such a caretaker, in fact, adherence to treatment is unlikely.

Having been cast in the roles of both the patient and the caregiver in that scenario as well as being the physician for patients who had loved ones deeply involved in their treatment, I am convinced that the complexity, difficulty, and, perhaps, impossibility of performing the caregiver role is insufficiently understood, recognized, and appreciated.

In this article, the author describes the subjective experience of fulfilling this role, along with concrete examples of the problems faced and reasonable responses to those conundrums. While the story focuses on her efforts to deal with her husband’s diabetes, the principles are valid for any chronic disease.

Easy solutions are exposed as myths and the conflicts, ambiguity, and lack of gratification inherent in this work are outlined.

Any clinician dealing with patients who must manage long term diseases, as well as the patients themselves and their loved ones, could profit from reading this essay.

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