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2000 Volunteer Leader Training Guide
Handling the Stress of Caregiving
Printer Friendly Version (PDF)
Objectives
• Major Teaching Points
• Suggested Activities
• Closing Remarks
Objectives
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To encourage caregivers to take good care of
themselves and the persons in their care.
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To provide caregivers with ideas for self-care,
especially as related to stress.
Major Teaching Points
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Caregiving is an emotionally and physically
demanding task.
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As a caregiver, you must take care of yourself.
You must learn to deal with the stress of caregiving.
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When you take care of yourself and seek support
from others, the job of caregiving is easier.
Suggested Activities
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Ask participants to think about how many people
they know who are in a caregiving role. Ask them how many they
know. Have them tell the group.
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Ask participants to share an example of a
situation where someone is in a caregiving role. Encourage them
to not divulge names. (This could be a personal example or
someone they know. To get the group started sharing, you might
talk briefly about an experience that you or someone you know
has had as a caregiver.)
Say: Caregiving has some stresses that you probably
cannot change. There will be demands on your time, energy and money. You will
see physical or mental changes in your loved one. Your family may resent the
time you spend caregiving. Even the person you are providing care to may be
resentful of you at times. No matter what you do the person in your care may
also be unhappy.
Ask: What do you think would cause you the most stress if
you found yourself in the role of caregiving? Or, if you have been a caregiver,
what caused you the most stress? (Give time for answers.)
Say: Let's think about some of the reasons we find
ourselves in a caregiving role. Some of the reasons are:
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Death of one parent and the survivor can't
manage alone
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Inability of your spouse (or other person) to
meet their personal daily living needs without aid
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Serious illness of a child or an adult that
causes him to need constant care
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Accidents or diseases of loved ones that leave
them incapacitated in some way
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Mental illness that causes a spouse, parent or
other loved one to wander away from home and need supervision
for personal safety
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Frailness and fragility in extreme elderly that
make living alone unwise
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Inability of loved ones to manage their home,
finances, medications and personal business
Ask: What do you think some of the problems are when you
are a caregiver? (Possible answers.)
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Your health may not be very good. You may have a
difficult time finding the physical stamina to take care of
someone else.
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If the person needing care has emotional
problems, you may find it very difficult to keep in a positive
frame of mind. Becoming discouraged might be easy.
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Taking care of someone is very time consuming.
You will have to give up other things that you enjoy doing. Or,
you may have to give up a job and suffer a financial loss.
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You may have to bring your loved one into your
home. This may cause resentment on the part of other family
members.
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If you have to move into a persons home to
provide care, you will have to adjust to different surroundings
and conditions.
Ask: We have talked about some of the caregiving
problems. But, there are benefits and a positive side to caregiving too. What
are some of the benefits? (Possible answers.)
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You get a chance to pay back a parent or loved
one for taking care of you.
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You love the person you are caring for and want
to take really good care of them.
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There are some good times when the loved one
really appreciates you.
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You are setting a good example for others in
your family, especially the younger members.
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You feel good about what you are doing.
Read the Following Aloud With the Group
"Suggestions for Caregivers"
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Learn some ways to manage your stress. The two
fact sheets from Cooperative Extension Service, University of
Arkansas, "Managing
Stress" and "Techniques
for Managing Stress" are good sources of information.
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Ask friends and relatives to step in and give
you some free time from caregiving.
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Establish your limits. Difficult though it may
be, you need to say "no" sometimes to protect yourself and your
health.
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Remember your loved one as they used to be; try
not to dwell on the loss you may experience.
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Don't isolate yourself. Make every effort to
sustain your contact with others.
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Monitor your own mental and physical health.
Watch for signs of depression in yourself.
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Keep a record of the time that you spend doing
housework or caregiving chores. Could you cut back some so that
you would have more energy?
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Make sure that you get some exercise and eat
properly.
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Is there a caregiver's support group? Join one
for empathy from others in your situation.
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Remember that caregiving situations change. This
may be a positive aspect for you.
Give Participants the Handouts:
Managing Stress and
Techniques for Managing Stress
Closing Remarks
Caregivers provide a needed service and generally feel good
about their efforts. By managing personal stress effectively, caregivers can
protect their own health.
Betty Youngman, Extension Specialist - Family Life
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