Caring for my husband as he struggled with dementia was the most challenging role I’ve had. My feelings fluctuated from hour to hour. So, I wanted to share websites that offer help possibilities when the stress becomes overwhelming - and it does.
Anxiety
Managing Anxiety for Caregivers - Caring for a loved one is a rewarding experience that brings meaning and purpose to many. However, providing care as we handle other responsibilities, feelings, and concerns about a loved one’s illness can cause added anxiety and stress.
8 Ways to Relieve Caregiver Anxiety and Improve Well-being - Tips for helping reduce and manage anxiety.
Guilt
Caregiver Guilt, Causes, Getting Help & Ways to Cope - Guilt may arise from unrealistic expectations and unsuccessful outcomes. Determining how to reassess our abilities and create a healthy balance in our lives can alleviate the emotional pain guilt creates.
Ways of Dealing With Caregiver Guilt That Improve Health - We often hold ourselves to unreasonable standards, such as doing everything without help, having a solution for every problem, always making the “best” decision, and never getting upset.
Anger/Resentment
What Causes Caregiver Anger and Resentment? Identifying and understanding the factors that cause anger and resentment are the first steps in developing healthy coping strategies.
Caregiver Resentment is Normal: Why It Happens and How to Mitigate It - Our discontent may stem from a variety of issues while caring for a loved one.
Fear
Caregiver Fears and How You Can Overcome Them - Caring for an older family member can be overwhelming. We worry about their well-being, safety, and quality of life.
Fighting Fear in Your Caregiving Life - Fear comes from a feeling of threat, pervading our existence in often-unacknowledged ways. We may not feel comfortable leaving our loved one at home with another caregiver because we fear that they won’t be adequately cared for. Or perhaps our loved one is afraid when we’re not there.
Sadness/Grief
7 Tools for Processing Grief - No matter how well we manage to go through the grieving process, it’s painful. However, some tools and aids can help in the grieving process.
Coping with Grief - If we were busy as caregivers and are no longer, we may feel lost when we have lots of free time. These are normal feelings.
Hopelessness and Helplessness
Coping With Feelings of Hopelessness as a Family Caregiver - Although serving as a family caregiver can be highly gratifying, there may be days when we feel helpless as we watch our loved one’s condition worsen.
Recognizing Caregiver Burnout: The signs and symptoms of caregiver burnout are similar to those of stress and depression. They include emotional and physical exhaustion and withdrawal from friends, family, and other loved ones.
Managing Aging Adults’ Emotions
6 Emotional Effects of the Aging Process Aging sometimes impacts our emotions in ways that require extra care and attention.
Understanding the Emotions of Aging - As the Baby Boomer generation enters retirement, family members and healthcare workers face a learning curve in understanding the emotions associated with aging. As people age, they experience physical changes, sensory alterations, and changes in appearance, which they often grieve.
7 Ways to Address the Emotional Needs of Seniors - Since every senior has different values and priorities, the needs of our loved ones may not be the same as those of others. However, there are specific core needs that all older adults lean on.
What Primary Psychological Needs Do Aging Adults Have? - It’s just as important to pay attention to the psychological needs of an older loved one as you do to their physical needs. Seniors' psychological problems can potentially impact their behavior, sleep habits, concentration, cognitive functions, and various other aspects of daily life.
Two Helpful Newsletters
Carer Mentor: Empathy & Inspiration
Victoria writes a newsletter filled with heartwarming and insightful articles about what it's like to be a caregiver. She offers resources for caregivers and provides insight into the realities faced by those who need and provide care for loved ones.
Paul offers Technology news and information of interest to seniors and those caring for them, with advice and answers from a guy in his 70s who scours the Internet for helpful information.
Here are websites I thought caregivers might find helpful.
Great suggestions Janice! It's just sometimes, when the caregiver speaks, it feels like their words dissolve into air...specially to family members.