Whether catching up with a friend in the grocery store or talking to a family member offering their support, Anne Couldridge, who is a full-time caregiver for her 24-year-old autistic son, Connor, frequently hears, "I don't know how you do it." She always smiles and replies in the same manner: "I don't know any other way."
"Of course, I recognize our family's dynamic is different from most," Anne says. "By the time most kids are Connor's age, they're typically out on their own pursuing their careers and starting families of their own, leaving their parents struggling to adjust to being empty nesters. But because of Connor's developmental disabilities, in many ways, my husband and I still have a young adolescent. We can't leave him home alone, let alone dream of helping him move into his own home.
"When Connor was young, he went to school full-time and to various therapies. Then, when he graduated in 2021, our lives took a turn. For decades, the adult system for developmental disability services has been chronically underfunded and understaffed, and while I had full knowledge that this cliff was coming, it was still a jolt to our family when we reached it.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 07, 2024 من First for Women.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 07, 2024 من First for Women.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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