According to statistics from the National Family Caregivers Association, one in five adults is a caregiver. Caregiving is stressful and can lead to health problems for the caregiver. In order to meet the challenge of caregiving and to stay healthy, caregivers need to take care of themselves, said Suzanne Geffen Mintz, president and co-founder of the NFCA, in a phone interview
“It’s important for people to get time to renew themselves. When you’re driving a car and the gas light goes on, you don’t go much farther before fueling up . . . When you are so exhausted, you don’t perform well and it can impact your ability to help your loved ones,” said Mintz.
Ask Other Family Members for Help
Those caring for elderly parents need to enlist the help of other family members so they can get respite. In situations where other members are hesitant to provide assistance, Mintz suggests involving a third party, either a clergy member, or someone from a geriatric social service agency.
“(Family members) may not understand what’s going on. They don’t realize there is stuff they can do to help. They may not realize that they are going to have to come to the rescue if you totally fall apart,” said Mintz. “What it all comes down to is that it shouldn’t be one person’s job.”
Seek Out Social Services and Support Groups
Caregivers may also find help through their county’s office on aging and disability, or through other social service agencies.
When Pam Plencner of north suburban Chicago was caring for her elderly mother, she found respite from a neighbor who occasionally cared for her mother and emotional support through a caregiver support group in her community.
“At the support group, we all have the same types of problems, but the degree may be different. The bottom line is that it is disruptive. In caregiving, you’re trying to cope with a situation that you probably never dreamed you’d have to cope with,” she said.
Caregivers Need to Sleep Too
Lack of sleep is one of the major issues family caregivers face. Caregivers need to think of sleep as productive. Sleep is necessary to do the best as a care provider, a spouse, a parent, or an employee according to the Caring for the Care Provider, a pamphlet from the Wisconsin Association of Homes and Services for Aging.
Try to identify the factors that are causing reduced sleep and then try to correct them.
In order to get a good night's sleep, it may be necessary to ask a friend or relative to keep watch one night a week so the caregiver can sleep uninterrupted.
Caregivers should avoid the habit of pushing bedtime back further and further, to stay awake to finish just one more task.
Although it can be difficult, caregivers need to realize that it will be counterproductive if they don’t take care of themselves, and end up getting sick. The Family Caregivers Association offers many tips and resources to help caregivers meet the challenge.
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