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Take care of yourself first
In order to care for another, you need to have enough physical and emotional energy. Fir example getting adequate rest, enjoying your hobbies are essential.
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Accept current circumstances
Don’t waste your energy trying to think your way out. Be realistic and make sensible choices.
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Self-review
From time to time evaluate your emotions, use of time, self-care and personal goals. Make changes as needed.
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Obtain help for yourself
It is difficult to see those you love decompensating physically or psychologically. Finding community resources to assist.
Posts under ‘Caregiver Support’
5 more ways to caregive for elderly parents
5 ways to caregive for elderly parents
The following are 5 tips on how to be a healthy caregiver, when caring for elderly parents.
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Set boundaries
It is important to set limits after deciding what you will, won’t or can’t do. Setting limits does not mean that you are a bad caregiver. It means you are conscious of the responsibilities of being a caregiver. Being an effective caregiver means that you are able to take care of yourself so that you can care for others.
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Live in the moment
Avoid negative thoughts such as “what if” and do what is right for you. Accept that you cannot control others all the time. Avoid unnecessary worry.
6 Ways to manage caregiver stress and be a healthy caregiver
Stress can negatively impact a caregiver if the caregiver does not take care of themselves. Here are some tips to help with stress.
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Use relaxation
When you are frustrated, find relaxation techniques to help. These can be as simple as counting from one to ten, while taking slow deep breaths. Others have gone for walks. I tend to meditate, sing, and take baths.
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Prayer
Find positive affirmations or prayers that work for you to help you with negative thoughts. For example, the serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
Impact of caregiver stress
The following are 5 ways that stress can negative impact a caregiver.
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Physical Health
Caregivers become at risk for chronic or disabling conditions themselves. Caregivers suffer from increased rates of physical symptoms including acid reflux, headaches, and pain/aching and have high levels of obesity and bodily pain.
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Emotional health
Caregiver stress is also linked with anxiety, depression and other mental health effects. Estimates show that between 40 to 70% of caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression.
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Mental Health
Caregivers experiencing chronic stress may be at greater risk for cognitive decline including loss in short-term memory, attention adn verbal IQ.
10 ways to identify caregiver stress
Caregiving requires much time and can be demanding. It is important to recognize the signs of stress in yourself or someone you care about. The following are typical signs of caregiver stress.
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Denial about the disease the person cared for has
This is having unrealistic expectations of recovery for the person being cared for.
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Anger at the person being cared for
Patience wanes, and anger erupts at things that the people being cared for are not able to do.
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Social withdrawal
One can be so consumed with caring for the person, that the caregiver can lose touch with their friends and families. The caregiver no longer does things they once enjoyed.
Exploring the world of caregiving: who are they?
Being in the “caregiving” profession, I was interesting in finding out more about who are informally caregivers and the commonality among them.
Typical “caregiving” professions that come to mind are those related to direct service such as doctors, nurses, social workers, etc. Informal caregivers are defined as anyone caring for someone who is in need of help. They are unpaid and are usually family members, friends or neighbors.
There are 1.8 million households caring for someone aged 50 or older (Scharlach, et al, 2003). In California 77% of caregivers are women, 37% are daughters and 25% are wives of the person needing care.
Helping someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
People experiencing obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms and their family may spend years not knowing what is wrong. Even with a diagnosis, there is tension within relationships and it can be frustrating, often taking a toll on family and friends. Family dynamics are impacted and social networks can become small. Here are some ways that family and friends can do to help a loved one diagnosed with OCD.
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Learn about the disorder
Researching the disorder is important so that you can find out about misconceptions like how people suffering from OCD lack willpower, are lazy or suffers from trauma. Learning can help foster an understanding of what the person is going through. Encourage your loved one who suffers from OCD to read literature or watch presentations.
What you need to know when your loved one has Alzheimer’s Disease Part III
Part I of this Alzheimer’s series consisted of a general overview, while part II was a blog about tools to help a person suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. Today’s will concentrate on caregivers and preventing caregiver burden.
In January, I wrote a general blog about preventing caregiver burden and the following are more to add to the list.
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acknowledge your feelings
As in any difficult situation, many feelings can come up. Some caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients have felt the following:
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guilt that your loved one is in this situation
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embarrassment – if your loved one causes a scene
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What you need to know when your loved one has Alzheimer’s Disease Part II
Alzheimer’s Disease blog Part I was an overview on what Alzheimer’s Disease is. Today’s blog will focus on how to keep your loved one safe, as well as happy.
Changes that will help a person suffering from Alzheimer’s:
Activities
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physical activity
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regular walks or dance can help both physically and mentally
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social groups
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church groups, adult day care centers, or senior centers can provide opportunities to socialize
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household chores
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simple chores can promote a sense of purpose
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recreation
What you need to know when your loved one has Alzheimer’s Disease Part I:
Your loved one starts to forget the name of their daughter, forgets how to get home, forgets how to turn on the TV. These are the difficult scenes that play out if someone you love has Alzheimer’s Disease. This will be a three-part blog, consisting of a general overview, tools to help caregivers, and ways for caregivers to take care of themselves.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
