Wellness
for caregivers
Confident Caregiving
Your confidence as a caregiver will develop over time. In fact, your caregiving skills begin early in life — you’re actually a care partner before you’re ever a caregiver. From birth you received care and in time, as you formed relationships, you gave care. You’re even capable of caring about people we don’t personally know!
If you’re a new caregiver and don’t feel confident at all, here are some places to start:
Stay Informed
You are prepared to start immediately by drawing on the experience you already have. You’re caregiving from the moment you acknowledge your loved one’s need. Listen and ask questions to understand the situation to the best of your ability.
Recognize your Resilience
You begin by understanding what your loved one needs right now. You balance your emotional reaction with the action. Your response is unique to you and your needs. Everyone is different in their responses and those responses can quickly evolve. Your innate flexibility allows you to adapt to new situations, by organizing immediate and secondary responses and managing the emerging situation over time. Soon you’ll reestablish a routine accounting for these new demands.
Apply Resources
You identify the skills necessary to meet your loved one’s needs and assess how equipped you are right now and how much you need to learn to meet those needs. You’re going to need help and advice and answers. Seek out guidance for prioritizing your care partnership needs on an ongoing basis.
In times of crisis, the uncertainties of acute care needs push families into an […]