Try: Unique employment opportunity once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a talented caregiver who is caring and compassionate at all times hours are all day every day being able to multitask is a must pay is negligible and appreciation is minimal duties will be exhausting challenging stressful and sometimes rewarding applicant must be able to interact well with all types of personalities and deal with all kinds of family dynamics and dysfunction position needs to be filled immediately and no application necessary how many of us would answer a job description of this type normally we would run as fast as we could in the opposite direction but in a family caregiving situation we have no choice but to respond and "step up to the plate " because of the "baby boomer explosion " there will be an increasing need for family caregivers in the future baby boomers started turning 65 on january 1 2011 at a rate of approximately 10 000 per day coupled with the fact that life spans are now longer and memory impairment diseases are becoming more prevalent there will be a significant need for an ever expanding family caregiving community unfortunately there are no universal tutorials for caregivers to prepare themselves for this type of job due to this fact almost every caregiving experience is unique unto itself no situation is normal and no two families have the same outlook or personalities caregivers are given no choice but to become pioneers and blaze a trail for themselves through uncharted territories without even a map trail guide or even a "clue " numerous articles books newsletters websites and magazines offer various solutions for both the novice and the experienced caregiver however without these tools caregivers have no choice but to flounder about waiting on someone else to throw them a lifeline even with these resources some are still "splashing around " waiting for their particular challenges to be recognized and addressed caregiving by and large is practiced by self-sacrificing compassionate individuals who are caring for a family member who at one time cared for them and wouldn’t have it any other way however now that the roles are reversed they find that it becomes increasingly difficult when physical demands or emotional turmoil’s affect their own personal health and well-being as well as their family life convincing a family caregiver to seek additional outside help for a loved one who needs care is nearly impossible the family caregiver who insists on doing all of the caregiving alone will probably come away from the experience with a flattened forehead caused by continually "beating his or her head against the wall " the best thing that you can do is step back keep your mouth shut and provide support and broad shoulders to hold the family caregiver up when he or she starts to falter and fall apart guidelines that family caregivers should be aware of and use it is ok to feel frustrated or cry you cannot turn back time nor can you expect a miracle cure all that is required of you is your care concern and compassion remember you are doing the best you possibly can realize you are not alone sometimes you may think that you are the only one who can do this particular job of caring for your loved one however there is support available ask for help no one is a mind reader remember friends neighbors and or family members may be available and willing to help but may not want to intervene without being asked every minute you care for someone else is a minute that you take away from another person or commitment in your own life your spouse children job service organization ministry hobbies and so on may be shortchanged you need to draw some boundaries for the time devoted to caregiving so that the other important areas of your life do not suffer your strength will come from within but be aware that each and every one of us has a "breaking point " nurture the moments of relaxation and recharge your inner self on a regular basis take care of your health this is vital someone important is counting on you to care for yourself so that you can care for them educate yourself on all of the different aspects of caregiving what works for others may or may not work in your situation but knowing what to look for will save hours of precious time many helpful resources are readily available on the internet and your local library may have valuable resources related to caregiving finally you may need to change your attitude and mindset about the disease condition or impairment that the care recipient is suffering from you do not have control over any of these things however you do have control over your attitude and response to the situation caregivers have wonderful gifts of compassion and caring this gift may not always be appreciated by the care recipient or other family members however don’t ever forget that you are special you are invaluable and you are making a major difference to the quality of life of those whose lives you touch information references adapted from a presentation made by nancy a brain an employee of active seniors’ options inc located in champaign illinois

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Categories: Caregiver Needs&Support, Emotional Psychological, Spiritual

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Keywords: Caregiver strength burnout appreciation

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed