Caring for the Caregiver

As mentioned in my previous blog, there have been slow but sure changes in Mumsie lately.

I guess I didn’t really realize how stressful it was until, after one particularly tiring day mostly spent bickering with Mumsie, I snapped poor Hubby’s head off after he made an innocuous statement. He didn’t say a word at the time, bless him, but he did bring it up again that night when Mumsie had gone upstairs to her room.

“You need an outlet”, was what he said when I’d apologized and ended up in tears of frustration.

And that’s when God opened a door for me.

I went to the library the other day to pick up a book I’d requested when I came across a pamphlet called “Caring for Caregivers”. Normally, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance as I’ve always thought that I’m coping just fine, thank you. However, Hubby’s words came back to me so I took one home to read.

Wow. I never realized how much information and help are out there for caregivers. There are one-to-one or group emotional support meetings, workshops on recognizing the stresses and dealing with the challenges of care giving, and educational sessions for those who want to learn more about the medical and legal aspects of care giving – all free of charge.

Before I could change my mind, I picked up the phone and signed up for one of the workshops on the challenges of care giving. The workshop is scheduled for the beginning of September, which will give me sufficient time to prepare myself and write down some concerns and questions.

In the meantime, I’m also looking at pursuing various other “outlets”, such as a photography workshop, yoga classes, etc. With Fiona agreeing to come twice a week as of September, it will give me enough time to pamper myself a little – I might even finally get around to using the spa gift certificate that a friend gave me for my birthday almost five years ago!

[tags]caring for the caregiver, emotional support, challenges of care giving, workshops for caregivers[/tags]