Caregiving The Hardest Job I Never Applied For. Lori Jemison RN, OCN, BMTCN Froedtert & MCW Cancer Center

Transcription

1 Caregiving The Hardest Job I Never Applied For Lori Jemison RN, OCN, BMTCN Froedtert & MCW Cancer Center

2 There are only four kinds of people in this world: Those who have been caregivers Those who are currently caregivers Those who will be caregivers Those who will need caregivers - Rosalynn Carter, Helping Yourself to Help Others

3 Goals Describe what a Caregiver does? Defining the job Is the big O for Oprah O no List at least 3 sacrifices caregivers make Action Planning Identify 2 types of stress Identify 2 ways you can get help

4 Caregiver: 1. An individual, such as a physician, nurse, or social worker, who assists in the identification, prevention, or treatment of an illness or disability. 2. An individual, such as a family member or guardian, who takes care of a child or dependent adult.

5 Getting the Job:

6 ? s You Need to Ask Yourself as a Caregiver Are you trying to do it all. Do you say to yourself I should be able to, I can never, or similar statements. Do you ignore your feelings or find them overwhelming? Feel frustrated because of things you can t change or someone who won t change? Do you resist seeking, asking for, or accepting help? Do feel others don t get what you are going through as a caregiver?

7 Did you Answer Yes? If you answered yes to one of the previous statements you may want to work on that area of self-care.

8 What I Can Do Focus on what you can do Take responsibility Have realistic expectations Communicate effectively with others Learn from your emotions Set goals and work toward them Empower yourself Get help when needed you are not Superman or Wonder Woman

9 The Big O s Overlooked or Overwhelmed Remember - you play an irreplaceable role in the care and recovery of your loved one Come to the job with little medical knowledge, quickly take on a large amount of hands on medical care Caregivers provide things the medical team cannot love, hope, encouragement, an understanding, knowledge and appreciation for the patient. You do not let the illness define the patient

10 Big O s Continued Scientific studies have shown patients do better if they have supportive relationships What price does the caregiver pay?

11 Sacrificing long days and nights fatigue discouragement patients get empathy or sympathy caregivers are overlooked or minimized

12 Guilt Anger Frustration Stress I m a Bad Person

13 Take A Break!

14 Factors That Affect Stress Life is not the way it is supposed to be. It s the way it is. Is your caregiving voluntary or not How is your relationship with the care receiver? Your ability to cope Your caregiving situation Do you have support?

15 Maintain Health and Avoid Distress Recognize the signs of Stress Identify your Sources of Caregiving Stress Identify what you can and cannot change Take action to manage your stress

16 Take Care of Yourself Are you comfortable putting yourself first? Do you think you should meet the needs of others before your own? Do you feel you should be the perfect caregiver? Do you minimize or deny you have needs?

17 Action Plan or Goal Setting Something you want to do It is reachable It answers these questions: What How much When How often High confidence level

18 You Are Responsible for Your Own Self-Care Attend to your own health care needs Get proper rest Eat healthy Learn stress reducing techniques and then use them! Take time off don t feel guilty when you do this! Participate in pleasant activities REWARD yourself Get help from others and then use them.

19 Self-care continued Supportive counseling or support groups Identify and acknowledge your feelings Change the negative ways you may view something Tell others what you need. Do Not assume they should know. Laugh, find humor in life Set priorities

20 Super Star versus Shining Star

21 A Model For Making Decisions Identify the problem Gather Information Generate Options Evaluate your Options Create a Plan Act Reassess

22 Paid with Appreciation You have helped your loved one overcome a terrible disease. Maybe you found a new intimacy with your family member or friend. Finding strength you did not know you had. Learning new skills you never thought you could. Learning new ways to cope or deal with stress, pain, or disappointments.

23 Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle Unknown This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

24 Questions?