Five Tips for Handling Caregiving Stress
June 21, 2012 at 9:41 pm
June 21, 2012 – The challenge of being a caregiver for a loved one can be time consuming and extremely stressful. According to a recent study, 55% of caregivers report that they feel overwhelmed and are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors.
Here are five easy tips to deal with the stress of caregiving that go beyond “take a deep breath”.
1. Research resources available to you.
There may be home health care services, transportation, and meal delivery services in your community. There may also be adult day care centers and short term nursing homes available for your use.
Websites such as www.whitepages.com can provide local resources while www.usa.gov and www.medicare.gov have directories of general resources.
2. Ask for help.
Enlist the help of family members or loved ones when needed.
Join a support group in your area to interact with others in similar situations. www.caregiver.com has a feature which allows you to find such groups in your community.
3. Stay organized.
Everybody has a digital calendar on their computer. But, as a caregiver, it might be helpful to be a little old fashioned and carry a paper planner with you.
Use your planner to keep track of doctors’ appointments, check-ups, and even to write out your weekly grocery lists. Sometimes just writing something down will help you feel a little calmer and more on top of things.
4. Plan ahead.
Research eldercare issues such as Medicare and powers of attorney.
Websites such as www.cms.gov and www.caregiverslibrary.org contain useful information and resources about such issues.
5. Take care of yourself.
Get enough sleep, exercise, and eat full meals. It is important to stay healthy in order to provide the best help for your loved one.
And yes – this might include taking the occasional deep breath.
I was my mother’s prmairy caregiver to Alzheimer’s. And if I had heard someone suggest that I embrace Alzheimer’s while I was in the thick of care giving trenches, I would have quickly dismissed the advice as superficial and one-dimensional. But as a recovering caregiver, I realize the power of that statement. Unintentionally and unrehearsed, I did embrace Alzheimer’s during the early stages of this journey, and that very act fundamentally defined my experience, converting an otherwise stressful journey into a mindful and meaningful series of life lessons.In the beginning I’ll admit that I was afraid of the disease because I didn’t want to lose my mother to the tangles of this fatal disease. I simply wasn’t emotionally prepared to let that happen because it meant letting her go.So I did my best to keep connected to her, by doing what I could. I prepared homemade, single-portioned meals to fill her refrigerator. If she was going to lose her mind, I thought, let it happen on a full stomach. At the very least, it made me feel like I was still in charge. But during those quiet moments when truth becomes easier to swallow, I would admit to myself that my mother was falling apart before my very eyes and it would put me into a panic-stricken tailspin. Like anything in life, the more I looked truth in the eye, the less panic I felt.Gradually I stopped trying to teach her how to use the TV remote, heat up leftovers in a microwave, and hold a telephone. I stopped trying to squeeze her back into the reality that we had once shared because that approach ended up being a source of aggravation to us both. By leaving the ‘denial’ stage and embracing Alzheimer’s, I liberated myself from the fear that Alzheimer’s would steal my mother’s love. And if I still felt unsure or afraid of my mother’s disease, I would remind myself that ‘when life hands you Alzheimer’s, embrace it.Celia PomerantzAlzheimer’s: A Mother Daughter Journey