Try a Support Group
Thursday March 28, 2024
Recently, in a caregiver support group meeting, I asked the question: “If you wrote a book about your caregiving journey, what would the title be?”
Here are some of the answers that were given:
- Why Am I the Target?
- Oh, Crap!
- God Will Get Me Through This
- Step by Step
- The Day Everything Became About Her
- Enjoy the Simple Things
- I Could Have Never Imagined
- We Are in This Together
- I’m Just Tired
- Why Does She Hate Me?
- Joyful (with Much Sarcasm)
- Killing Me Softly
- I am a Caregiver & I Have No Clue What Tomorrow Brings
- Dementia Is Contagious… Right?
- Death Without a Death
- Trying to Make Sense of the Non-Rational
- ANGER
What would your caregiver book be titled?
You will notice there weren’t many positive responses given. Because caregiving is HARD. What an understatement!
Caring for someone with dementia is never in anyone’s life plan. Many of us imagine that we will one day care for our spouse or aging parents, but we don’t imagine that it will be due to that person having memory loss. We can’t imagine how much dementia will change our lives.
Also, no one is naturally equipped for this role. No one, by themselves, is ready with all the knowledge on what to do and how to respond and how to survive this difficult journey.
As a caregiver, you have to take time to educate yourself on your loved one’s disease and you have to learn how to prioritize yourself in the midst of caregiving. If you try to do this thing alone, your life will be infinitely harder. You don’t have to figure everything out by yourself.
What I want you to know is that you are not alone. Even if you have no support from family or friends, you have a group of professionals and fellow caregivers who are ready to walk with you on this journey – wherever you may be.
The staff at Page Robbins is here to support you however we can, AND we have wonderful support groups that are filled with people just like you. People who are having hard days. People who are struggling with caregiving. People who are feeling emotions that you might think no one else is feeling. But guess what? You are not alone.
This is your sign to try a support group.
The support group can be virtual or in-person. It can be here with us at Page Robbins or somewhere else. It’s worth the time and energy to get there. Learn some new skills and take time to prioritize your own well-being.
Maybe your caregiver book title is Mad or Get Me Out of Here or Downright Depressing. But maybe, just maybe, with one brave step and the help of some care friends, you can add a subtitle.
Mad: But Not Alone
Get Me Out of Here: But Not Alone
Downright Depressing: But Not Alone
