Caring for Yourself
An important part of caregiving is properly caring for yourself. Staying active, motivated, healthy, connected with friends, and interested in activities should be central to your life.
In order to do a good job caring for someone else, you must first take care of yourself. Don’t ignore your own needs and feelings. Coordinating doctors’ appointments, dispensing medications, bathing, lifting, transferring, dressing, feeding, toileting and dealing with incontinence-related activities may not leave you with much time, but your physical and emotional health is of tremendous importance. By caring for yourself, both physically and emotionally, you will be a better care provider.
Normal Emotions
Everyone’s response to their unique caregiving situation is different. Perhaps you are a part-time caregiver who provides periodic help or maybe you are providing around-the-clock full-time care. Maybe you receive support from other family members or you are travelling this road alone.
Many caregivers say they are torn between love, a sense of satisfaction about the care they are providing, and resentment because caregiving responsibilities tend to limit outside activities. These conflicting emotions are a normal part of caregiving, but may lead to feelings of guilt and stress or physical and emotional burnout. Becoming a caregiver is a profound lifestyle change. It takes time to adjust to a new routine and added responsibilities. Give yourself credit for a job well done, but also give yourself a break once in a while.