APPENDIX 1.
Eboni Green, PhD, RN
Eboni Green, PhD, RN
Co-Founder of Caregiver
Support Services
www.caregiversupportservices.org
Caregivers who are
worried, experiencing depression and anxiety will unfortunately experience burnout
long-term. In fact, our system cannot afford to lose a single caregiver because
they are burned out. Because caring for
your loved one can be extremely stressful, I hope that you will use the
following tips to care for yourself as you care for your loved one:
Let go of tasks that you do not need to perform. This means that
sometimes you will need to delegate and let go of tasks that you do not need to
perform personally. Perhaps your home will not be as clean as you would like
sometimes; in the long run, the cleanliness of your home does not matter. When
you delegate, it is important to let the other person complete the task in his
or her own time. Remember that you cannot determine someone else’s pace, but
you can control your response. You can either give the person space to flourish
or overshadow his or her important roles by holding on to everything. Your goal
is to make sure your loved one is cared for and loved.
Include others who will assist you. If you have family and
friends on whom you can call for support, it is important to do so. Even if you
do not have extended family nearby or do not get along with your own family,
you can still build a network of friends who can help in the care of your loved
ones; some of them may even become your greatest supporters.
Celebrate successes along the way. On occasions where you
are successful in reaching a goal, no matter how incremental, you should stop
and celebrate. I find that sometimes caregivers minimize the successes that
occur in their day. It is important to focus on what is going well if you want
to be healthy over the long term.
Take time out for yourself. When possible, try to
schedule time to do things that are important to you. It is important to make
sure that you keep interests outside of your caregiving. When you take time out
for yourself, it should be for something that you would not need to do or learn
as a part of caring for your loved one.
Be empowered! The term empowerment
is defined as the ability to engage in and execute behaviors for successful
caregiving. It is a significant force that may assist you with the tasks
associated with caring for a loved one. In fact, once you are empowered, you
are better able to help your loved one live life with greater fulfillment. When
you are empowered, you are also more inclined to reflect on the many rewards
gained by the new sense of purpose resulting from providing care for your loved
one.
###
Contact information:
Diane R. Beggin, RN
40 Sycamore Drive
Montgomery, NY 12549
Web site: http://ManageNursingCareAtHome.com
Book: HOW TO MANAGE NURSING CARE AT HOME, by Cooper and Beggin
No comments:
Post a Comment