Caregivers have many faces. Adult children taking care of aging parents. Parents caring for sick children. The face may be yours.
Those faces include approximately 40 million individuals. One fourth are millennials. Many caregivers work outside the home. Somehow they manage to carve out an estimated 21 hours of care to loved ones in need.
The face of the caregiver may appear worn as the daily care demands all attention and energy. The tasks seem small and insignificant, albeit continuous. Repeated questions and actions of the parent with Alzheimer’s or the slow decline of chronic illness take a toll spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
Watching the steady decline of a loved one can be heart wrenching. The once fiercely independent, self-sufficient individual now needs help with basic decision making, and bodily functions. The pending loss of a treasured relationship is ever present.
The caregiver, consumed by the needs of a loved one, often neglects their own needs. Self-neglect can lead to a health crisis for the caregiver. Such health concerns include but are not limited to depression, lowered immune response, frequent illness, and even death.
Self-Care Basics
Caregivers need to embrace self-care in order to prevent burnout.
- Get plenty of sleep
- Eat healthy
- Exercise
- Set priorities
- Learn to say “NO”
- Set healthy boundaries
- Have a quiet time in the morning
- Ask for help
If you are a caregiver, I urge you to take special care of yourself. Your loved ones are depending on you. Stay healthy so you can stay strong.
Prayer for the Caregiver
Father, I pray for all those who are in a care-giving role. The demands emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically exhausting. Give each one strength, peace, joy, patience and long-suffering as they serve you from their heart and soul for the loved one in need. Bless them as only you can. Amen
© 2019, Nanette M. Holloway, All Rights Reserved
