The Invisible Labor: Why Paperwork is the Real Heartbreak of Caregiving
I am leaning against the desk, the cheap laminate edge digging into my ribs, trying to keep the tower of files from tipping over. The air conditioning hums a sad, flat E, struggling desperately to mask the synthesized, offensively cheerful strings of the hold music. It’s been 13 minutes since the automated voice assured me I was the “next caller in the queue.” This is the third hour I’ve given to this single, soul-crushing task today.
My desk, if you could call the precarious arrangement of particleboard and repurposed shoeboxes that, is dominated by three major geological formations: POA, Medical Bills, and Medicare Part D. I tried, a month ago, to organize this chaos. I attempted to build a bespoke shelving unit after seeing a video on Pinterest-an overly ambitious DIY project, much like attempting to navigate the CMS website without a translator. The shelf collapsed during installation, showering me in cheap particleboard sawdust and
















