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Managing The Stress ~ Making The Decisions ~ Discovering The Meaning |
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Caregiving |
Solutions To Your Caregiving Situations Throughout Your Caregiving Years |
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Your Caregiving Battles Battling your Loneliness Laura wrote to me a few months ago. She took care of her parents in their home, then her home, and now her mother is a retirement community, her father in the nursing home on the same campus. She was stretched thin from running to help her parents and her small business (a child care business in her home) kept her home-bound during the week. She was lonely, anxious and worried. I invited her to try one of our online support groups. A few months later, I almost don’t recognize the same Laura. She seems calmer, in control, almost content. With the group’s urging, she has take some time for herself on the weekends, rather than spending all day Saturday and Sunday with her parents. And, she recently told her mother that she and her husband will be taking a summer vacation. We encourage family
caregivers to try support groups because it really does help to talk with
others who walk your walk. Prior to joining the group, Laura “was feeling
frustrated and overwhelmed,” she says. “My hopes (in participating) were
to learn from others who have already experienced what I am going through.
I discovered the group through the Union Tribune and decided to see what
it offered.” And, she has gained camaraderie and empathetic ears—all without leaving her house. With an online support group, you’ll find support at any time of the day or night. And, writing to members of the group helps you clarify your thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, the words are difficult to say. But, the written word can offer just the right form of expression—and release. She offers this advice to others considering joining a group: “Just join and learn from others. This is a good place to vent your feelings.” Community support groups: If you’d like to join a group in your community, contact your church, your Area Agency on Aging, your local hospital. Joining a community group ensures you’ll get out of the house, which sometimes is a gift in and of itself. Online support groups: We have message boards and listservs (members communicate via e-mail messages) on our site. But, there’s an abundance of support groups online at other web sites. You can join support groups specific to a disease, like Alzheimer’s or cancer, or specific to a caregiving situation (for spouses, you can visit www.wellspouse.org). Determining the Best Care at End of Life How Do You Say What They Don’t Want To Hear?
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions |
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