10 Tips to Caregiving.
Everyday there are 25 million people who provide long term care to husbands, wives, parents, children, friends and other loved ones.
This caregiver's site is a wonderful way to bring together caregivers to support each other and to let professionals know services they need. Professionals in turn need to interact with caregivers to alleviate the isolation, the lack of help, and the difficulty in getting pertinent information.
In interacting with both the professionals and caregivers visiting this site I would like to offer ten tips for family caregivers from the National Family Caregivers Association.
1. Choose to remain in charge of your life, don't always let your loved one's illness take center stage.
2. Remember to be good to yourself. You deserve quality time just for you.
3. Watch out for signs of depression and don't delay in receiving professional help when you need it.
4. When people offer to help, accept and suggest specific things that they can do.
5. Information is empowering. Educate yourself about your loved ones condition and resources available.
6. Be open to technologies and ideas that promote your loved one's independence.
7. Trust your instincts. Most of the time they will lead you in the right direction.
8. Grieve your losses and then allow yourself to dream new dreams.
9. Stand up for your rights as a caregiver and a person.
10. Seek support from other caregivers - In other words utilize this web site discussion group.
Visit our website at the
Sanford Center for Aging www.unr.edu/sanford .
I hope I can be of support for this web site and all of you strong caregivers in Nevada.
Be well,
Larry Weiss Director of the Sanford Center for Aging
