How to Decrease Caregiver Stress
10 Ways to Cope with Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s
Nov 5, 2008
Ron Kauffman is the author of Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease and the founder of SeniorLifestyles.net. Here are his 10 suggestions for coping with caring for a loved one - which will decrease stress and make caregivers more effective!
“It’s estimated that 10 million people are providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease in America,” says Kauffman. Being a caregiver – whether that means an occasional visit or helping someone to the bathroom every few hours – requires patience and sacrifice.
“Being a caregiver for a spouse or family member is all about providing a safe, loving environment,” says Kauffman. You can’t do that unless you’re healthy, happy, and strong. Kauffman's coping tips for caregivers will keep you well - which will help keep your loved one happy.
10 Ways to Decrease Caregiver Stress
1. Call a family meeting when your loved one is diagnosed. Establish a family support plan to share the load – don’t plan to be a caregiver all by yourself. Caregivers have to be willing to accept that the job of providing care is stressful, and can be overwhelming.
2. Take care of yourself. If you as the care provider become ill, you’ve defeated the entire purpose of the caregiving plan. You have to learn to jealously guard your personal time, and be willing to permit others, whether in the family or outsiders, to step in and help with the caregiving tasks.
3. Pay attention to your stress levels. Stay tuned in with your feelings and your changes in attitude, as these are often early warning signs of potential personal problems. When you’re helping a loved one with Alzheimer’s, make sure you monitor your own “caregiver stress” and negative feelings.
4. Meet your physical needs. Be sure to eat properly, exercise, get sufficient rest, and include relaxation and recreation in your schedule. Stay healthy and balanced, so you can provide health and balance. Staying physically healthy is a great way to deal with caregiver stress.
5. Be honest with yourself. Accept that there may come a time when you are no longer physically or emotionally able to meet the demands of being the full-time caregiver. When you’re helping a loved one with Alzheimer’s, you need to keep an eye on the future.
6. Put legal and financial plans in place. Take care of advance directives, such as a Living Will, Health Care Surrogate and Power of Attorney. When you’re helping a loved one with Alzheimer’s, it’s important to take care of business in advance.
7. Be realistic. Stay hopeful, but also keep yourself grounded in the reality of the moment. Surviving as a caregiver involves being realistic about Alzheimer’s, and savoring the good moments. You'll feel less caregiver stress if you're balanced between reality and hopefulness!
8. Know that you can’t give more than 100%. When you’re helping a loved one with Alzheimer’s, you have to learn to accept certain situations for what they are. Part of this acceptance is knowing that you can only do so much to help. Caregiver stress occurs when you’re trying to take on too much.
9. Don’t feel guilty; the situation is not your fault. You must learn to say no, and often times willingly give of yourself without ever hearing the words, “thank you” spoken by the patient. You have to be willing to deal with feelings of grief and loss of a lifestyle that is no longer available to you, and you may have to deal with feelings of anger toward your loved one as a result of the loss of your partner to the way things were.
10. Give yourself credit for doing the many things you currently handle. Accept that you're not “Superwoman” or “Superman” -- but you are doing the best you can. As a caregiver, you're handling numerous responsibilities and dealing with a great deal of stress. Giving yourself credit will help you care for a loved one with Alzheimer's.
To learn more about Ron Kauffman and his book, Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease, visit his website at SeniorLifestyles.net.
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