Family caregivers, whether full-time or part-time, often find themselves feeling overwhelmed, anxiety ridden, frustrated — and guilty. They start a lot of sentences with “I should” and put the needs of their loved ones before their own. But studies show that caregivers who don’t take a little time for themselves each day will sacrifice their [...]
Support group conference call set for June 2: Technology that makes time for you
Our phone-based, “virtual” support group for caregivers is BACK in a BIG WAY. Caregivers worldwide are invited to get together, learn and support each other in a phone-based support group on Sunday, June 2, at 3 p.m. Central Daylight Time. That’s 1 p.m. in California, 4 p.m. in New York, and 9 p.m. in London. [...]
Random tip #13: Reserve 15 minutes for yourself
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything you have to do and keep on track? Welcome to the caregiving club! Rather than let yourself become overly stressed by the burdens of caregiving, do yourself a giant favor and reserve 15 minutes or more for yourself each day. What you do with that time is up to [...]
Never forget a task: Use Evernote
Most people I know—not just caregivers—periodically have difficulty keeping track of all the tasks on their “to do” list. For caregivers, this can become nearly impossible as we seek to juggle responsibilities from our work, home life, caregiving and more. Thankfully, a free software program, Evernote, can help even the most harried task-jugglers stay on [...]
How to Increase Income Despite Chronic Disease or Caregiving
One of the eternal truths of caregiving is that, for every person who suffers serious, chronic disease, the income of at least two people is reduced. Despite this, you still may be able to get creative and find previously unimagined ways to increase your family’s income so that it’s at least greater than it would [...]
Call Your Own, Private “911″ for Caregiver Depression
The statistics are compelling. Fully 70% of all long-term caregivers show signs of depression, and half of those could be clinically diagnosed as depressed. So, what are some steps you can take when you find yourself in the emotional ditch and want to feel better as quickly as possible? One critical step is to reach [...]
Vote for a National Caregiving Hero
Last week, I had the pleasure to hear Connie Siskowski of Boca Raton, Fla., talk about her own inspiration to help other caregivers. Connie was speaking on National Public Radio about the Caregiving Youth Project (CYP), an initiative designed to help the estimated 1.4 million youth between the ages of 8 and 18 who are [...]
Please vote for a true hero to child caregivers
Some of you know that Sue’s journey with MS, and mine as her primary caregiver, has inspired me to do something for other caregivers. Connie Siskowski is doing something special for CHILDREN who are forced by family circumstances into CAREGIVING at a young age. Please take a minute and vote for her as the CNN [...]
Blow away depression with high-energy friends
Over the past five years, there have been a handful of times when depression reared its ugly head for me. When it did, I temporarily lost my otherwise eternal optimism. Personal and work-related objectives suddenly seemed like mountains to climb rather than the rolling hills I had easily conquered in the past. Perpetually outgoing, I [...]
Become a smarter consumer of long-term care
The ECN virtual support group on July 29 helped caregivers become smarter consumers of senior care services. Mike Campbell, the author of When Mom and Dad Need Help, provided insights on topics ranging from how to discuss long-term care options with your loved ones, to how to evaluate the quality of long-term care facilities. Listen to [...]
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