Oct 13, 2011

Consider your limits

"Give as you can but know your limits. Stop periodically and think about your giving. Are you feeling pleasure in your efforts?"  Lynn Eldridge, M.D.

A friend sent me a link to caregiving tips aimed at supporting people providing care to someone with cancer, but the tips are helpful to caregivers for dementia too.  I think the above tip is especially important.  I know this summer I have had some times when I was not feeling pleasure in my efforts.  I think that is inevitable, but also detrimental to our health and the situation of caregiving.  So, when we feel loss of pleasure in our efforts at giving in this caregiver capacity, let us stop, reconsider, and implement a new plan.  Whether that new plan means a change in setting for the care receiver, or more support coming in to relieve us, or a change in our own attitude:  change is called for.  Let us who have chosen (or feel we have had forced upon us) to provide caregiving, self monitor to ensure that we are not giving in resentment, but in peace and well being.  The link for the rest of the article is:
 

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