Respite

Did You Eat

Many times when I visited mom, one of the first questions she would ask me was "did you eat"?

As with any typical mom, her first concern was my health and well being.  And this is one of the most important lessons to learn here.  Take care of yourself and don't feel guilty about it.  Because, if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone.

Eat Healthy.  Make sure to eat healthy to keep your strength up so that you can deal with caregiving tasks.  Simply visiting the Assisted Living Facility can be stressful.

Keep your doctor appointments.  Your health will be impacted when the stress of caregiving spikes.  Your doctor can check blood work, blood pressure and other important vitals to make sure a health problem is not starting or becoming worse.

Take a break.  Take time for yourself to rest, do something fun, or otherwise get your mind off your caregiving responsiblities even for just a short time.  What I didn't realize was that my responsiblities were constantly on my mind day and night affecting my mood and even my sleep.

Talk to someone.   The honest truth is that, unless the person you talk to has been or is a caregiver, they will never fully understand what you are going through.  But, simply talking to someone about what you are feeling or experiencing can still help.

Ask for help.  Don't try to take on this huge responsibility all on your own.  Ask for help and accept the help when it's offered.  Any break you can get will help you to help your loved one.