Your Emotions and Caregiving
You’re an emotional being and when you start being a caregiver, you might start to experience emotions that shock you a bit. Some of those feelings might even seem as if they’re bad or wrong. The thing is, they’re extremely common feelings amongst people who care for others. Understanding why those feelings aren’t bad or wrong can help.
Grief Is Common
There’s an element of caregiving that acknowledges loss that has happened and losses that are still to happen. Your senior has lost some of her ability to care for herself and you’ve lost part of your time and energy to devote that to being a caregiver. All of that loss needs to be grieved. But you’re also grieving for the realization that your senior is closer than ever to the end of her life. This is genuine grief that you need to manage.
Guilt Is Common, as Well
Beyond the grief, you’re also likely to feel quite a bit of guilt. It’s difficult to reconcile caregiving with your own life sometimes and that can lead to feeling guilty about what you’re not doing in your life or that you’re not doing enough for your senior. Cut yourself some slack. You’re doing what you can with the time, effort, and energy that you have. You’re doing the best that you can.
You May Feel Resentful or Angry
Because you’re giving of yourself and of your life, you may start to feel angry or resentful. It’s tough to understand why you’re feeling that way at first, though. You care about your senior, otherwise, you wouldn’t be taking care of her. But that doesn’t take away from the feelings of loss you’re experiencing and that you might not know how to manage.
Fear and Worry Can Be Crippling
Being a caregiver also means that you’re worried about your senior and her future. You might be afraid of where her health issues are leading or what she might face in the future. All of that can be incredibly frustrating and crippling for you. Having solutions in place that allow you to allay your fears is crucial in working through those feelings as quickly as possible.
It’s important to understand what might be behind these feelings. None of them mean that you’re a bad caregiver or that you’re not cut out to help your senior. Talk about your feelings with someone you trust, because that can take away their destructive power.
If you or someone you know needs Home Health Care in Spanish Fort, AL, please contact the friendly caregivers at Hughes Home Care. We provide quality and affordable care for your elderly loved ones in our community. Call Us Today 251-517-9901. Serving Mobile & Baldwin County.
- Understanding Vertigo in Seniors: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions - December 19, 2024
- 5 Ways Home Care Assistance Makes Shopping Easier For Seniors - December 10, 2024
- Six Tips to Make Holiday Shopping Easier for Your Senior - November 21, 2024