Recognizing that taking care of yourself is important for caregivers, the National Institute on Aging offers Tips for Caregivers. Often family caregivers are juggling work and family life a well as caregiving.
Caregivers give a lot to others, but often don’t spend time taking care of themselves. they are less likely to get preventive health care or to practice regular self-care.
It’s not always obvious a person needs help, watch for these signs of stress:
- Felling exhausted, overwhelmed or anxious
- Becoming easily angered or impatient
- Feeling lonely or disconnected from others
- Having trouble sleeping or not getting enough sleep
- Feeling sad or hopeless, or losing interest in activities you used to enjoy
- Having frequent headaches, pain, or other physical problems
- Not having time to exercise or preparing healthy food for yourself
- Skipping showers or brushing your teeth
- Over using alcohol or drugs, including prescription medications
How to ask others to help?
- Ask for small things first
- If you can’t ask face to face, send a text or email with your request
- Consider a persons skills and interests when thinking about how they could help
- Make a list of what you need help with, let the person choose
- Practice a response “Thanks for asking. Here’s what you can do.”
- Be honest about what you need and don’t need. Not every offer will be helpful
- Be prepared for some people to say “no”
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