Dealing with Being Overwhelmed as a Caregiver

Coping With Your New Role

1. Address and Share Your Feelings

• Support Groups


• Church


• Psychologist, social worker, or therapist


• Internet chat room with other caregivers


• National caregiver organizations


• National or regional organizations specific to your loved one’s illness.

2. Boost your knowledge.

• Learn everything you can about the illness.


• Learn everything you can about caregiving and the assistance available.

Take Stock

1. Determine the needs of the care receiver.


2. Decide which needs you can or would like to meet on your own.


3. Determine which needs can or must be met by others.


4. Identify family and friends to whom you can turn for help.


5. Establish the need for outside professional help.

How to Ask for Help -- Tips for asking family members or friends for help

1. Sit down with them in person or find a quiet time to speak on the phone.


2. Review the list of patient needs.


3. Specifically discuss areas in which you think they could help.


4. Ask them if they would like to participate.


5. Inquire about whether they would like to help out in a particular area.


6. Clearly explain the tasks and what they could do to help.


7. Make sure that they understand exactly what would be helpful to you, as well as to the care receiver.

This will be an ongoing process as the needs of the care receiver change. It’s never too late to start coping, take stock, and ask for help, but it’s best to do BEFORE you get to feeling overwhelmed. Taking this action is important for preserving your health, and it will also result in your being able to provide care for a longer time.

Source: Net of Care, Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City.

For a full discussion: http://www.netofcare.org/content/getting_started/