By AARP staff — 2019
Information and conversation are key to facing the challenges of care
Read on www.aarp.org
CLEAR ALL
Nicholas Pinter’s autism and bipolar disorder pose challenges for his parents. His father, Mike, right, learned mindfulness methods to help reduce his stress.
From finding humor in a tough situation to trying creative problem-solving, you can develop a more resilient spirit.
Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion. Stressed caregivers may experience fatigue, anxiety and depression. Some ways to prevent burnout include joining a caregiver support group and using respite care services.
Anger, confusion, and sadness are a few symptoms a person with dementia may experience regularly. Even though you know your loved one’s dementia behaviors are symptoms of a disease and not intentional, dealing with them is often emotionally and physically challenging.
As caregivers, we need to be more than problem solvers. We need to be portals to a larger possibility.
Caring for a loved one strains even the most resilient people. If you’re a caregiver, take steps to preserve your own health and well-being.
Meditation broadens our perspective and deepens our courage. The spaciousness of mind and greater ease of heart that arise through balanced awareness and compassion are fundamental components of a resilient spirit.
It is essential for those in caregiving roles to cultivate self-compassion alongside compassion for others, to create an inner atmosphere of kindness, expansiveness, and awareness in which resilience can flourish.
My hope is that the G.R.A.C.E. model will help you to actualize compassion in your own life and that the impact of this will ripple out to benefit the people with whom you interact each day as well as countless others.
Caring for people who are suffering is a loving, even heroic calling, but it takes a toll. Roshi Joan Halifax teaches this five-step program to care for yourself while caring for others.
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