Self-Care For Caregivers Teleclass Starts Today

OVERWHELMEDCARING FOR A FAMILY MEMBER??

FREE 8-week Teleseminar Series to help you cope and get your life back.


◊ Have you noticed that you don't have a life anymore?

◊ Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed as you care for a family member?

--------------------—— Stop Struggling —-----------------—


On this free call series, you will learn:

◊ How to prevent emotional overwhelm.

◊ How to maintain peace in the midst of chaos.

◊ How to forgive yourself.

◊ How to maintain your health.

◊ How to be an empowered caregiver.

Thursdays, Oct. 2, 2008—Nov. 20, 2008

7—8 PM PST (10—11 PM EST)

Register now at www.caregivercoachingonline.com to receive the call-in number and start your journey to getting your life back!

Caregiver Resource

Recently I was fortunate to be at a grand opening of Leeza's Place at Olympia Medical Center.
It is located at 5901 Olympic Blvd, Ste 300, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Phone is (323) 932-5414. You can check it out at http://www.leezasplace.org/.

It is a great place for you to receive caregiver support.

me and Leeza Gibbons

me and Dr. Jamie Huysman, Co-Founder of Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation

Self-Care for Caregivers

Caregivers Care

As a caregiver, your generally pulled in multiple directions at all times. You are the last person on your list. Then, you start feeling overwhelmed and possibly ill. Well, it doesn't have to be that way.

Make yourself the priority at all times. You will be glad you did. Yes, there is the feeling of guilt if you take time to take care of yourself. Well, the feeling will pass, trust me. Remember you must take care of yourself in order to properly care for your loved one. So, take a breather. Do, my favorite thing, get a massage. Even a 30 minutes foot massage will do you wonders.

Go ahead take of you!

Easy Self Care Tip for Caregivers

Take time for yourself by arranging respite care with another family member or a respite care service. Take the time to recuperate and regain focus and energy. This can be very important over a long illness, so that you are able to care for your friend or family member with compassion and dedication without burning out.

Maintain Your Health While Being a Caregiver

Caregivers are all different ages and sexes. Depending upon who they are caring for, they may be young or they may be old. No matter what age a caregiver is, they need to be sure to take care of their own health, so that they can better care for the person that is ill or incapacitated. Good health is essential for a caregiver. If the caregiver is not healthy, then it is very difficult to care for someone else. Studies have shown that caregivers are much less healthy than those who do not care for others and this clearly has an impact upon how they are able to give care.

What can you do to take care of your health when you are taking care of a friend or family member?

- Pay attention to your body. If you are tired, rest. If you are in pain, get help. Listen to your body and don’t put off going to the doctor if something is wrong.

- Nutrition and exercise. Eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help to keep your body working more efficiently. Regular exercise can help to ward off depression in addition to giving you more energy.

- Find ways to relax. Whether this is through breathing exercises, aromatherapy, meditation, or prayer, you need to find ways that appeal to you for relaxation. Relaxation helps to decrease your stress levels.

- Take time off. I know, easy to say but hard to do. Being a caregiver can be a 24/7 job and this can be extremely taxing on the body and the mind. Taking time off when possible is very important to keep yourself from becoming burnt out.

- Put a priority on your health. This means making regular appointments with your doctor and keeping them, as well as dentist appointments. In this way, your physician can help to keep you from having any major health problems, because they can catch any health conditions early and treat them. If you have ever taken a trip in an airplane, you know that the emergency code is to put the oxygen mask on your face first, then assist others. The same goes here; you must take care of your health in order to be capable of providing caregiving services.

- Keep a positive attitude. This can be difficult when you are dealing with an illness of a friend or family member, but it is essential to your health. This can help decrease your feelings of being overwhelmed or stressed. Also, your attitude directly affects the attitude of the person who is in your care. Therefore, your positive attitude will ignite a positive attitude in them.

- Immunize. Getting flu, tetanus, and pneumococcal immunizations can keep you from getting these illnesses and from giving them to your family member or friend that you are caring for.


- Ask for help. If you need a break or help in certain tasks, then be sure that you ask for help. You may want to ask a family member, friend, or find a respite care service to help you by doing tasks that you are having problems with or to give you a break.

Taking care of yourself first is important in being a caregiver. If you are not healthy or not feeling well, then you will not be able to care for someone else. Optimum health can keep you from becoming burned out, depressed, or ill. That is why you want to be sure that you take care of yourself in every way possible.

Caring for your elders

Consider what level of care they will need: Your parents or grandparents may need just a little help at first but as time goes on you will be doing more. If you have not taken out a long term care insurance policy, you should look into this as soon as possible before they reach the stage where an insurance company will refuse to insure them. You should check out what services and resources are available for you.

7 Things Every Caregiver Must Know, Pt II

4. Understand that you may be on an emotional roller-coaster and if you are, that is okay. A wide range of emotions occurs during the time of taking care of a family member or friend. Sadness, anger, guilt, and resentment are just a few of the emotions that you may experience. As long as these emotions are short-lived, accept them as a normal part of the caregiver’s life. If you seem bogged down in an emotion or become depressed, you may want to get some counseling to help you deal with the stress of the situation.

5. Support groups can give you the support you need. Most people shy away from support groups because they do not want to talk about what is going on in their life, but they can be a huge source of support for caregivers. Join a support group to learn techniques for dealing with this change in your life.

6. Realize that your patient is going to have ups and downs, too. Your friend or family member is going through an illness and this means that they are going through a range of emotions, too. Understand that a blow-up at you may not really be about you, but about the illness that they are battling. Support them in dealing with their illness on their own terms.

7. When you have done all that you can do, it may be time to get more specialized help. This may mean that you have to find more specialized care in a nursing home. When you are not able to take care of your family member or friend anymore, then you need to allow someone else to take care of them. This does not mean that you are bad or uncaring. It means that you are not able to care for them the way that you want. This can be due to your age, health, or life situation. If the help needed is beyond your capabilities, then get them the help that they need. This is best for them and for you.

Being a caregiver may be for a short season of your life or a long one, but by considering the seven thoughts above, you can better take care of yourself and your friend or family member.

7 Things Every Caregiver Must Know, Pt I

Taking care of a spouse, parent, or other family member or friend is not an easy task. Being their caregiver takes devotion and balance to make sure that you take care of their needs, as well as your own. There are seven things that every caregiver should know to be able to take care of their needs and that of their family member or friend.

1. Allow your friend or family member to do everything that they are able to do. This is very important, as it gives them some control over their life. Being a caregiver does not mean taking complete control over them and treating them as a child. If they are still able to bathe and take care of other personal needs, then let them do so as long as they are able. They will have a better frame of mind and have a better attitude. This is better for you and for them.

2. Establish a relationship with a doctor that your family member and you trust and feel comfortable with. Being a caregiver does not necessarily mean that you are a medical professional. Unless you are in the medical profession, there are things that you may not understand about taking care of your patient and their disease or condition. Having a doctor that will take the time to answer your questions and assist you when needed is a very important relationship that every caregiver should take time to create.

3. Take time for yourself. It is very easy to live life day to day giving care to your friend or family member without taking time for yourself, only to find yourself burnt out and tired. Take time for yourself by arranging respite care with another family member or a respite care service can give you that time to recuperate and regain focus and energy. This can be very important over a long illness, so that you are able to care for your friend or family member with compassion and dedication without burning out.