According to a study done by the Caregiver Action Network about 29 percent of the U.S. population cares for an elderly family member or friend. Some of these caregivers will spend on average 20 hours a week taking care of their loved one, however 13 percent of family caregivers end up spending upwards of 40 hours. No matter the time spent, the rate of adults taking care of other adults has been a growing trend over recent decades. Jim Popowych is one of these adults who takes care of his elderly mother Mildred. After work and on his weekends he checks in with her, does her shopping, her laundry and anything else she may need. They have a very loving and complicated relationship which is shown through the following images.
Jim is my Dad, and Mildred is my grandmother or as my sister, cousins and I called her Gaga. Mildred passed away on September 28th, 2020. Her love will continue in my family in our memories of her.
Jim Popowych visits his mom, Mildred Popowych on Nov. 18, 2019, at her apartment in Greece N.Y. Jim is a nurse at Unity Hospitals family practice and he also takes care of her after work and on the weekends. He sits with her at the table and goes over her mail, and her bills. Although she has trouble seeing she always writes her name on the line for her checks.
Jim unloads the groceries he just bought on Nov. 24th, 2019, in his mom's apartment in Greece, N.Y. He always buys her a few oranges and a few bananas as she does not regularly eat meals so when she does she eats foods loaded in the nutrients she needs.
Jim picks up his moms scrip at Wegmans in Greece N.Y. on Nov. 24th. He had to speak with the worker to figure out her
Jim sits with his mom at the kitchen table after work on Nov. 20th, 2019. They sat and discussed his work day.
Jim at work on Friday Nov. 29, 2019. Today was his day to work on the incoming messages from the call center and call the patients back. This was particularly difficult on this day because there was no available appointments open, however it was his day to leave early. Instead of going straight home, he will have to go grocery shopping for his mom.
After work on Friday Nov. 29, 2019, Jim goes grocery shopping for his mom. He called her and got a list of the things she needed for him to get at Wegmans in Greece, N.Y.
Jim enters his mom's apartment in Greece, N.Y. on Dec. 7th 2019. He came over to check on her and do a few things for her.
Jim cleaning out the humidifier that was in his mom's closet on Dec. 7th 2019 at her apartment in Greece, N.Y. Because it is so cold in the winter months her apartment gets dry and needs the added moisture.
Jim and his mom on Dec. 7th 2019 at her apartment in Greece, N.Y. She was telling him that all her days run together as she is in her apartment all the time and she wasn't sure if it was Saturday or Sunday.
Jim and his mom sit on the couch just relaxing on Dec. 7th 2019 at her apartment in Greece, N.Y. He came over to set up her humidifier in her apartment as in the winter months it gets really dry.