Peter’s Parkinson’s Disease was diagnosed thirteen years ago. At the time, we were relieved to have a cause for his increasing fatigue and to learn that although there was no cure, there are some effective medications that would help him function.

But there are no effective medications for caregivers. 

Our first major change came when Peter decided that he shouldn’t drive anymore.   I had been the designated night driver for a while, but this was different. I became his Uber. 

When we rented a house in Bethesda, Maryland to “try out” living near our grandchildren in 2016, we spent most days on the Mall in DC, visiting the museums and other sights.  When we moved to DC eighteen months later, it wasn’t the same because Peter broke his femur shortly after we arrived and was hospitalized for six weeks.  His mobility declined significantly and that was a real setback.

Returning to Cambridge nine months later was difficult for both of us but it was the right thing to do.

But my amazing husband who never complains has not been able to stave off his increasing immobility, so we had limited our activities considerably even before the pandemic.  We used to have a joke—when one of us asked the other to do some trivial task, the other person would say, “What, do I have to do everything around here?”

Now, I do have to do everything. 

If the situation were reversed, Peter would do more than everything.