Boy becomes his grandma's full-time caregiver so that she doesn't have to go to assisted living

In times when people barely have a moment for their families, this grandma and her grandson are going viral on TikTok because the grandson is her full-time caregiver. In a recent Q&A video on TikTok, Chris Punsalan (@firstnamechris) answered some of the most frequently asked questions. Punsalan mentioned that he became his 97-year-old grandmother's caregiver seven years ago when he had just graduated college. At 22, when he was in his last semester of college, Punsalan and his family realized that his grandmother would either need a full-time caregiver or would have to be sent to assisted living. Chris Punsalan wasn’t happy with either of these options. As he had not secured a job yet, he decided to become his grandmother’s full-time caregiver and assist her with everything.

Punsalan further shared that he helps his grandmother with pretty much everything. As his grandmother has both arthritis and osteoporosis, she needs help getting in and out of bed, with meals, her daily washcloth baths and her full Friday showers. Above everything, Punsalan ensures that his grandmother is as comfortable as possible. He believes that making an effort to keep his grandmother at home and not leaving her in the care of a stranger has been worth it.  Punsalan’s grandma was an elementary school teacher when she was younger and now makes TikTok videos along with her grandson. These videos feature everything from their conversations to the grandma’s birthday video. The account also has a following of over 2 million and over 72 million likes.

Apart from the TikTok account, Punsalan also has a collective of designer pins called the Chooseday collective. Named after the way his grandmother pronounces Tuesday, it is also popular among his followers. The creator decided to make a collective of things that remind him of his grandma and people feel especially connected to these as they remind them of their grandparents as well. Recently, Punsalan introduced a pin with his grandma’s face in her signature red beanie. It has turned out to be his and several of his follower’s favorites. His grandma embodies a sort of comfort and people love to witness it or have a part in it.

In one of the videos, the creator also shared that every time he posts something without his grandma, he gets comments asking where she is and if she’s okay. He continues to say that if people see him taking care of her, they feel a special connection with her. The creator also shared that whenever his grandma is not featured in his videos, he is making time for himself, an essential part of caregiving. He also expressed that he has a really supportive family that makes all of it possible. Along with the collective and the TikTok account, Punsalan gets to share memories with his grandma apart from the caregiving and cherish those memories for a long time to come. The account also encourages people to spend time with their grandparents and forge a strong bond with them. It might also help other primary caregivers feel appreciated and represented in a way.