Where caregiving is a family affair, Alzheimer’s places a heavy burden on children and spouses
HARLINGEN, Texas — Here in the Rio Grande Valley almost everyone knows, or cares for, someone with dementia. It’s not a surprise. The region has some of the nation’s highest rates of the disease. But what’s less appreciated is the enormity of the burden carried by the mostly Mexican American caregivers. In a culture where caregiving is a family affair, it’s almost unthinkable for children and spouses to place loved ones in nursing facilities or ask for outside help — even if those options were affordable.
Paula Barrera spends most weekends taking care of her 93-year-old mother, who still lives in her own home here near Brownsville. Romeo Luis Escobar helped care for his mother for nearly two decades after he realized something was wrong. She’d started putting eggs and lettuce in the freezer.
