Caregiver Care for the Caregiver
An educational comment (from AgingCare).
Caregiving affects physical and mental health
As a caregiver, you may experience higher levels of stress than a non-caregiver. Approximately 4 out of 10 caregivers rate caregiving as “highly stressful.” Women especially feel this burden since they account for 61% of all family caregivers.
Chronic caregiver stress, feelings of loneliness, and difficulties prioritizing self-care can negatively affect both physical and mental health.
Furthermore, caring for a loved one with dementia is often associated with a higher degree of caregiver burden. A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that spousal caregivers who are caring for a loved one with dementia face an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
THESE ARE SOME REASONS why it is SO important to take care of yourself when you are caring for a loved one:
Be mindful to get into a routine of:
* healthy (or healthier) eating
* Exercise - move somehow (yoga, walking, swimming)
* Mindfulness: meditate, google Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Buddhist scholar--- Join his Wed 6pm Zoom meditation (excellent)
* Explore networks / friends / support - have people you can talk to - who 'know how' to listen (vs telling you what to do).
* Have respites (from an hour to a day or longer).
* Do something you enjoy on a regular, if not daily, basis: - Art / creative project, reading, writing in a journal/writing a poem, going to a movie - you need to incorporate some down time / fun. (I just started making chakra necklaces ... And, I get to the gym / jog regularly ... whether I feel like it or not. I do what I know I need to do as often as I can.)
* Get into therapy if you need it. Do not wait. This is a stressful time and you need all the support you can get.
This work isn't easy at all. We aren't given education or a road map in advance. Most of us are thrown into this scenario without understanding dementia; many haven't learned to set boundaries / dealing with guilt.
It is a learning experience as we go through this experience. Caring for yourself IS the best way to be available to care for another.
Gena / Touch Matters
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They have sickened me and they brought her old pads from an estate sale I had no idea they were full of mildew after a few days I opened one I’m super allergic and I smelt the mildew scent and immediately told my sisters to get rid of them all they are to I ! They did not care and I found out later they took them to nursing home! A few days after all THAT my mother started getting itchy and nauseous… foggy, confused, classic symptoms of mold exposure took her to Urgent Care we are now six months later mid Dec tgey came over picked a fight with me as usual name calling yelling throwing stuff at me I told them to leave my mother was shaking well tgey got out police came my mom had a TIA within hours of them leaving!!!! NIW she has a problem from each hospital a rehab ( which did not do one thing except make her sicker almost death). The facility, omg hirrible they kicked me off premises 2 day my mother was there because I asked slot if ? And would not disenroll my mom from her health ins to theirs … THEY STOLE HER STUFF LET MY SISTERS TAKE HER TEETH AND HEARING AIDES SHE CANNOT TALK NOW Frim NOT HEARING For 2 months they ( my sisters)fed her baby food chopped her hair off and left her in a broken GERRY CHAIR EVERY DAY ALL DAY ! She had not 1 shower and fell out of the bed!!!!!!!
I finally got her out of that place it was near impossible she was sick sick sick she went right to ER she had a raging UTI and kidney dehydrated and her pressure wounds from first hospital got worse !!!
My sisters got mad because I took her out and the very next day APS was at the house my sisters called APS in Ocean NJ and they took my mother away she was doing well eating drinking so well … APS barged in without showing court order with 4 cops 10 days ago NEVER INTERVIEWED ME told me anf my girlfriend was over too TO GO OUTSIDE and the Nurse Practioner from the Home Care THAT I got she did not even get a chance to Eval my mom before that rude woman who listened to my sisters lies because they only care about money and not. APS had an ambulance come WITHOUT A WORD TO ME I could not believe IT ! I begged them the cops and her not to put her back in hospital it would be her 7 hospital stay, 2 Urgent Cares and 1 month stay in a rehab pushed by Brick Hospital I did not want her IN A REHAB IT IS a building where they put elderly to die take their SS check and omg not ONE PHYSICAL THERAPY SESSION THEY DID NOT GET HER UP ONCE !!!!
THE ADMIN LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING! I got her out on the 30 th day AND JUST GOT A BILL FROM THEM FOR $20,700 !!! Sick ! Also the SW MARIE and Manager gave my sister who is crazy as a loon all MEDICAL AND INS INFO REGARDING MY MOM which I am my moms all in the POA her medical and all! So major HIPPA violations, neglect to the residents double up their meds it’s horrible!!!! MY MOTHER IS WORSE!
I'm afraid I am the one perhaps that caused it to be moved to Discussions.
It's great advice, but I don't see a question in it anywhere.
I could be wrong, but to me, subjects that are general about caregiving, such as the good advice here, live a longer life. They stay in the forefront longer, and get more responses.
Questions usually come in a different form and disappear to page 2 faster than a speeding bullet, and are gone forever.
Apologies for meddling. Saw an irate not from RealyReal who admonished all who suggested such moves, and reiterated that a poster puts things wherever they wish them to appear and others should refrain from meddling. I think in future I will take that advice.
Again, apologies.