It may sound silly to ask this question, but many people are caregivers and do not even recognize that they are caregiving. Caregiving can be done from across continents as well as across the street. It takes its toll regardless of the physical distance from the person you are caring for.
You may feel that the tasks you are doing are just part of being a loving and caring family member. Running errands, arranging doctor appointments, shopping, housekeeping, helping to pay bills or taking phone calls are all caregiving tasks. Caregiving does not require the caregiver to provide personal care to the individual who needs help. In fact, the need for personal care of a loved one is often the trigger that helps us recognize that we are caregivers. These tasks are often seen as “nursing” roles and caregivers may be uncomfortable doing these tasks due to gender or special expertise and training needs.
Handling the day to day tasks of living for yourself and your family is full time work. Now add the life needs of a friend or relative and as a caregiver you have taken on a second full time job. If you work outside the home, you have a third job and responsibility that may suffer because of the emotional toll the personal caregiving roll consumes. We often call individuals in this situation “sandwiched”. They are caught between the primary responsibilities of their immediate family and now have assumed responsibility of others in need. They are sandwiched or caught between both responsibilities with the stressor of each bearing down on them.
You are not alone. Based on research there are over 40 million Americans who are unpaid caregivers for a loved one or friend. These caregivers encompass the entire scope of age range from teenagers to those in their 80s and 90s. Reach out for help from friends, churches, social agencies, mental health providers, medical providers and care managers. You cannot do it yourself for the long term without help. If you do not take care of yourself, you are not going to be able to care for the person you providing caregiving assistance to.
If you are becoming overwhelmed caring for a loved one, reach out to us for help and advice. We will help you to work through your frustrations and set you on the right path.