Caregiver Planning
Planning As A Caregiver - Stress and Grief
Planning as a Caregiver
Will the job of caregiving for a family member or a friend fall on your shoulders?
Are you always the responsible party?
Does the thought of this make you want to run and hide?
Don't know what you'll need to get the job done?
Have you made plans for your pets?
Gathering information and making plans early will be less traumatic for everyone. However, talking to loved ones about caregiving for illness or aging can be emotional and seem difficult. There are wonderful loving ways to begin this conversation but if jumping into a discussion with family is frightening we can start with something a bit easier. Let’s begin by planning for your beloved pet in case of an emergency. Certainly you want Scooby Doo or Clementine well taken care of, no matter what happens to you. We can begin with your pets and then ease our way into discussions of caregiving for family and friends.
Stress and Grief
In times of stress and grief, taking care of yourself is generally at the bottom of the list. You will often say "when this is over", "when I feel better", "when I have more time." Although understandable responses, actions rarely follow and the problem grows.
Stress of family caregiving for persons with dementia has been shown to impact a person's immune system for up to three years after their caregiving ends thus increasing their chances of developing a chronic illness themselves. (Drs. Janice-Kiecolt Glaser and Ronald Glaser)
We offer several options to deal with your stress and grief, EFT & Matrix Reimprinting, Reiki. This is heart work and a very important aspect of coping with caregiving and even the death of a loved one.
