Topic: self-care
Life is demanding. More so when you are caring for others.
The responsibilities of caring for someone who is older or has special needs or disabilities can be demanding on your physical, mental, financial, emotional, and social health.
Just as flight attendants advise at the beginning of every flight to “put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others,” the same advice applies to family caregivers. Putting your own oxygen mask on first is a metaphor for self-care.
We all need a break from the demands of daily life. This is especially true for family care partners. Respite is an important yet often overlooked aspect of every family care partner’s self-care. …
My friend Betsy Fitzgerald, care partner to a lung transplant survivor with metastatic cancer, recently shared an update: “I’ve been mending my life, Kintsugi, patching broken pieces together. It is not easy; some pieces are sharp edged, some not quite fitting, some missing. We do the best we can.”
Her role as a care partner comes with recognizing the need for self-care. And part of self-care has been acknowledging her need for “patching,” hence the Kintsugi reference.
Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that teaches us to repair the broken pieces, making us stronger and more resilient than before. It can symbolize hope, healing, and lead to a new kind of beauty. How might we apply the art of Kintsugi to the caregiver journey? …
What is a long-distance caregiver? According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a long-distance caregiver is anyone, anywhere, no matter your gender, income, age, social status, or employment, living an hour’s drive or more away from a person who needs your help.
Take Tom, for example – he’s one of one of six siblings and the only one living in Washington state. Tom lives in Olympia, a 75-minute drive—in good traffic—to his mom Peggy’s house, his childhood home in Seattle. …
The Geography of Families and the Art of Long-Distance CaregivingRead More »
Having concerns about your parents’ health and well-being as they age is normal, yet incredibly stressful. As an adult child, it is also common to struggle with striking the right balance between supporting your parents’ desire for autonomy and ensuring their safety.
According to AARP, approximately 42 million adults provide uncompensated care to an adult age 50 or older, many of whom are part of the Sandwich Generation. Sandwich Generation is a term used to describe individuals who are “sandwiched” between raising children and simultaneously caring for aging parents. …
Confident Caring: Essentials for Adult Children Supporting Aging ParentsRead More »
Caring for an older adult living with cognitive or health changes can be physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially challenging. Due to the broad range of responsibilities that can be required of family caregivers, self-care is essential.
While there are many ways to care for yourself, I’ve found that attending a caregiver support group is an often-overlooked part of a healthy self-care plan. …
The Benefits of Family Caregiver Support Groups: You are Not Alone!Read More »
There are currently over 4 million active podcasts, which is a testament to their popularity. Podcasts cover a wide range of topics from cooking, the arts, and politics to book reviews, health, and family caregiving.
Whether you are new to the family caregiver journey or finding your stride, podcasts can offer a beneficial listening experience that’s accessible and available at your convenience. Podcasts can offer encouragement, smart insights, and useful ideas. …
Supportive and insightful podcasts for family caregiversRead More »
Are you reflecting on life and its lessons? With so many options for self-publishing, writing a memoir may appeal. The process generates a new perspective on the meaning of one’s life. The end result lets future generations learn about you and their forebears. Find writing kits and courses online, such as Writers.com.
One thought to consider: Creating a chronological review can be unwieldy. It suggests you’ll present things with accuracy. Besides, recounting dates, locations, and events is just not fun or inspirational! Plus, you may have concerns about offending someone in the way you tell your stories. That can leach the joy out of the project. …
Respite, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “an interval of rest or relief.”
We all need rest, a break from the daily demands of life. This is especially true for family care partners. Respite is a necessity that is often overlooked, yet it is an essential part of every caregiver’s own care. …
Don’t we all need a ray of sunshine or a beacon of hope when life gets challenging?
As a family care partner, you can become comfortable with the daily routines and rhythms of caregiving and not realize how stressed, or physically and emotionally exhausted you’ve become.
You are doing an amazing job! Caregiving is difficult, complicated work.
But have you ever spilled coffee in the car or missed an important appointment and found yourself so overwhelmed in those moments that you couldn’t take another step forward? This is when you’ve reached the point of burnout.
The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone.
An Aging Life Care Professional (aka geriatric Care Manager) can bring that ray of sunshine and offer the beacon of hope you so richly deserve and need.
Outsourcing some of those tasks to a Care Manager frees up time for you to focus on yourself (and let us stress that self-care is not selfish, you are a priority!)
And as Lisa said, “My parting thought that’s really been on my mind lately is hope, that it can feel so hopeless at times being an adult child supporting a parent, especially in the sandwich generation.
No matter how messy the situation, how frustrating, how complicated, it can get better. And your life can feel easier. And that there is hope, and that there are people out there to make it easier and to help you get some of your life back, and help you put some boundaries in place, and help you feel better.”
Looking for guidance on how best to move forward? Our Care Managers are experts in helping family caregivers live well. If you live in the greater Seattle area, CLICK HERE to schedule a FREE get-acquainted call today.
If you live outside the greater Seattle area, click here to find an Aging Life Care Professional near you.
This is an excerpt of a longer conversation between Lisa Mayfield, Aging Wisdom’s founder and principal, and Laura Vaillancourt, MA, LMHC, GMHS on her ‘Life on Repeat podcast’.
As a family caregiver, whether you are a spouse, partner, adult child, or friend, you know the journey is not an over-and-done scenario, it’s a marathon. The key to a successful marathon is planning, preparing, and pacing.
This especially applies to special occasions, which typically take more energy and thought.
Care partners, this is your opportunity to prioritize your health and needs, as well as those of the person in your care. This isn’t always comfortable, but it’s key to making the holidays (as well as the day-to-day) less stressful and more joyful. …