![]() Most counties’ websites have a section dedicated to caregivers and, within it, there may be a list of support groups in the area. If you want to find other folks in ‘our shoes’, you might want to participate in a support group, where likeminded people gather to exchange ideas or simply to get away for a few hours. Pay it Forward! Support Groups and Caregiver Information Think of how you would feel if someone approached you in this way. It has led to many nice conversations, or maybe a simple “thank you”. Coming from another caregiver gives that recognition special meaning. ![]() I approach that person and make certain to recognize them for what they do. Whenever I’m out and about and see a person receiving care, whether they’re being pushed in a wheelchair, walking with a walker, looking after a disabled child, I make it a practice to focus on that person that is helping out, the caregiver. The reality is that the person receiving care gets most of the attention. I know it’s hard to do this, but once you get over the lump in your throat that is your pride, I think that you’ll find that it was worth it. As a result, we have visitors! If some people don’t come, well maybe they were not as close to us as we thought. etc.”Īfter a while however I swallowed my pride and reached out to friends and relatives and invited them to make regular visits and I call upon them for help when I need it. So, what do we do? What do I do to correct this situation?Īs a caregiver I was inclined to think and say “I shouldn’t have to tell people that my wife is still the same person in spite of her stroke related deficits and you should visit, offer help…. My wife’s “girlfriends” rarely come by anymore and her children live out of town (we don’t have children together). Getting together as “couples” has really dropped off because many of our previous links to other couples can’t be accomplished now as a result of the situation. Who are caregivers? Why do we feel alone, unappreciated, trapped, stuck? Why don’t others help us? Why don’t old friends visit?įriends drop off as time passes. I remember a line from the Broadway Musical “Les Miserable” it goes like this, “To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God”. It can provide a purpose in life and bring satisfaction that is unique to us. To be clear, there are benefits to caring for a spouse, mom, dad, child or friend. What happened to these dreams that they are now reduced to hoping to have just a “normal” life? I, like many of you, often think about my dreams of having an “extraordinary life”. As Caregivers we often suffer a loneliness that is unique to those of us who do this difficult work.Īs I travel around WNY visiting caregivers, I find a certain commonality with all of our clients caregivers, that is, many of us, even if we live with the person we are looking after, have a house full of PCA’s, nurses, therapists and social workers feel alone.
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