Caring for the Caregiver

                 There are times when, no matter how strong you are, you need to lean on someone else. The people in this support group have found a guilt-free way of doing something for themselves, giving themselves a place to vent and grieve the life they had before their loved one’s diagnosis. Not only are they building a support system, one they may not find in their current social circle, but they are creating a resource of information about what may come next. Additionally, one day, they may be the person with the information to share. Listening to these caregivers share their stories and heartaches, you know that living this lifestyle, if you can call it that, ages them beyond the years and months since their loved one was diagnosed.               This caregiver support group could be considered a mental health group, as it is certainly beneficial to the members in that...

              This support group was operating out of a church basement and despite having pre-arranged my attendance, I was nervous about going in. I am not a fan of meeting new people, but at least I had the advantage of not needing to speak to anyone besides a brief introduction. My experience began with the leader “Joan”, a kind woman about 60 years old, that shared with me that she was a caregiver for her mother with Alzheimer's, though her mother had passed several years ago. “Joan” welcomed my visit and was happy to let me observe after receiving permission from the five other attendees and informing them that I was strictly there for observation and that no personal or specific information would be shared about any of the group members. The other members consisted of “Carol” who cares for her husband that has non-Alzheimer’s dementia, “Cheryl” who cares for her mother, “Bob” who describes himself as a long-distance care...

  There may come a time in our lives when someone we know, someone we are close to, is diagnosed with a disease or injury that requires someone to step up and take care of them. Perhaps some people will be fortunate enough to be able to hire outside help, but others become the primary caregiver for their parent, spouse, or child when the need arises. In my lifetime, I have watched my aunt care for her son (osteosarcoma) and husband (prostate) through their successful cancer battles, my grandfather took tremendous care of my grandmother in her final years as her health declined and dementia set in, and I see my mother valiantly supporting and caring for my father through his fight with late-stage lung cancer. What may begin as one person’s health struggle becomes a team effort. While only one person may be suffering from the related physical symptoms and emotions, their caregiver often struggles with their own emotions, fatigue, and helplessness. For these reasons, I have chosen to ...