Five important keys for the role of caregiving
By
Karen Boerger and Annetta Dellinger-
In a caregiver’s life, the 24-hour days can be exhausting, frustrating, happy, lonely, and the emotional list goes on. There are five key ideas that a caregiver must remember:
1. Applaud your courage in handling day-to-day challenges. When you go to sleep at night and you can say that you have done the best you can with what you have, then you can say it was a good day. Caregiving doesn’t come with a how-to manual and sometimes you’re in it before you even realize it. Other times it’s at the beginning of a diagnosis. Whichever way you learn you’re a caregiver, you have taken on a challenge which is nothing short of courageous.
2. Be in God’s Word for hope and encouragement to support you throughout each day. Prayer and meditation have been proven to help with the stresses in one’s life. Caregivers can cling to their beliefs and transfer their worries about things beyond their control thereby gaining comfort and direction in their lives.
3. Caring for yourself is vital to ensure that you can continue your daily care for your loved one. If you can’t take care of your loved one, then who will! Some stress is healthy, but prolonged stress is not. We all must heed the call to take care of ourselves and learn to balance the stress that comes into our lives.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and accept it when offered. Having others give help is important to the caregiver as this is a vital social link to others. But it’s also important to the one who is offering the help because it validates their desire to serve and be of help.
5. Eliminate thinking too far ahead; take one day at a time. Planning too far ahead can increase a caregiver’s anxiety when unexpected daily challenges erupt and the day’s schedule goes completely topsy-turvy. Have a plan and a written list each day that allows for flexibility. Checking off each point on the list will give the caregiver a needed boost of accomplishment.
Caregivers juggle multiple roles and are often the lifeline for those whom they care for. While caring for others is highly demanding, it can be extremely rewarding and is critically important. To enjoy a morning of support, encouragement and networking, and lunch, we invite caregivers to join us on Saturday, April 9, 2011, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Hillsboro First United Methodist Church. The cost of the event is $10. Please RSVP to Bev at 937.393.2981.[[In-content Ad]]
1. Applaud your courage in handling day-to-day challenges. When you go to sleep at night and you can say that you have done the best you can with what you have, then you can say it was a good day. Caregiving doesn’t come with a how-to manual and sometimes you’re in it before you even realize it. Other times it’s at the beginning of a diagnosis. Whichever way you learn you’re a caregiver, you have taken on a challenge which is nothing short of courageous.
2. Be in God’s Word for hope and encouragement to support you throughout each day. Prayer and meditation have been proven to help with the stresses in one’s life. Caregivers can cling to their beliefs and transfer their worries about things beyond their control thereby gaining comfort and direction in their lives.
3. Caring for yourself is vital to ensure that you can continue your daily care for your loved one. If you can’t take care of your loved one, then who will! Some stress is healthy, but prolonged stress is not. We all must heed the call to take care of ourselves and learn to balance the stress that comes into our lives.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and accept it when offered. Having others give help is important to the caregiver as this is a vital social link to others. But it’s also important to the one who is offering the help because it validates their desire to serve and be of help.
5. Eliminate thinking too far ahead; take one day at a time. Planning too far ahead can increase a caregiver’s anxiety when unexpected daily challenges erupt and the day’s schedule goes completely topsy-turvy. Have a plan and a written list each day that allows for flexibility. Checking off each point on the list will give the caregiver a needed boost of accomplishment.
Caregivers juggle multiple roles and are often the lifeline for those whom they care for. While caring for others is highly demanding, it can be extremely rewarding and is critically important. To enjoy a morning of support, encouragement and networking, and lunch, we invite caregivers to join us on Saturday, April 9, 2011, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Hillsboro First United Methodist Church. The cost of the event is $10. Please RSVP to Bev at 937.393.2981.[[In-content Ad]]