When you think of a caregiver what’s the first image that pops in your mind? I bet it was a woman. 

After all, according to A Place For Mom, more than 75 percent of all caregivers are female, with the average age being 50 years old.

Every once in a while, though, someone comes along to change that narrative. And for a while now, a young man has been going viral for being a full-time caregiver to his 96-year-old grandmother.

Chris Punsalan, of Henderson, Nev., found his viral fame but not because of just him – his grandmother now has a starring role in the 29-year-old’s social media. The heartwarming duo post funny clips, food vlogs and fun dance moves, while showing the realities of taking care of an elderly grandparent.

The family are originally from the Philippines, but moved to the United States with the grandmother, who was an elementary school teacher.

At first, the Punsalan family had a caregiver who helped take care of his grandma, with Chris often lending a hand. He said, “That was my introduction to it, but I never saw myself as a full-time caregiver. It was really difficult for me to even help the caregiver because it made me really uncomfortable, seeing my grandmother like that. I grew up with her, so seeing her not being able to do things for herself was really difficult for me.”

So in 2015, when the caregiver was unable to keep working with the family, they had to make a choice – hire a full-time caregiver, or put grandma in a nursing home.

@firstnamechris greetings from grandma 👵🏼 #caregiver #kapampangan ♬ Kathuloo – Chris Punsalan & Billy Davis

For Punsalan there was no question of what they would do. He would take care of her full-time. He was graduating college and hadn’t found a job yet, so his time was open. And he knew, he said, they couldn’t send her away to be cared for by a stranger.

I was like, I’d rather be the one to take care of her instead of bringing her to home care. I wasn’t forced into it, but I felt like it was my obligation to step up and take on the responsibility. Now, I couldn’t imagine my life being any other way,” Punsalan said.

Once he began taking care of her full-time, his social media content began showing his grandma. His first video he posted to TikTok went viral immediately, with more than 25 million views.

“I had no idea it would do that. I feel like that’s what everyone says, but kind of in the back of our mind, it would be nice if the video(s) would take off. It was just really nice to see people accepting and being really receptive to it,” he said.

Videos don’t shy away from all aspects of elder care. From preparing her bed, to getting her up in the morning, bathing her, applying bed sore medicine, preparing her meals, transporting her around the house, and lifting her from wheelchair to her bed, Punsalan shows everything that he does to keep her happy and healthy.

One constant in all the videos is the love between the pair, and the surplus of inside jokes that make his grandma smile.

He hopes that viewers take a couple things away from watching the videos with grandma. He said, “Putting myself in an old person’s shoes — like hopefully when I become a grandfather — if I had a grandchild to help me out, it would just make life so much easier. I think [caregiving] is an underappreciated field. I just want to shed some light on caregivers and hopefully inspire younger people to want to take care of their parents or grandparents.”

Watch below for a look at the loving grandmother and grandson!

Sources: News ABS-CBN | Love This Pic