Coping Tips from an Expert

A Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist shares her experiences and insights on coping as a caregiver

Joan McKenna Health & Wellness

There are many support groups available to caregivers.
Photo by Thinkstock.com

 

Beth Witrogen, a Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist, speaker, and author of Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal, shares her experiences and insights on coping as a caregiver.

Visit www.witrogen.com for more information.

Accept that this is a life passage. Viewing it in this way versus a punishment or a mistake allows you to grow into a larger role. 

Tap into calming. Try meditation and prayer. Whatever grounds you will keep you centered, so a good diet, good friends, nourishing activities, and most of all watching negative projections and self-criticism are great tools for health.

Manage your time. It’s important not to neglect your other relationships. Prioritize duties and delegate where you can. Often the legal, medical, or financial duties can be assigned to other family members who may live farther away, or elder-care services can be hired or volunteers brought in through the local Area Agency on Aging.

Stay positive. By setting boundaries and finding our own place of stillness within, our loved ones don’t feel they are a burden to us, which helps relieve their stress.

Know that you are not alone. There are many support groups available; join one. See “Online Resources” and “Coachella Valley Caregiver Support Groups” for some options.

Visit goo.gl/pgZ5oi for a full Q&A with Beth Witrogen.

Online Resources

Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org;
24-hour telephone support: 800-272-3900

American Association of Retired Persons: www.aarp.org/home-family/caregiving

A Place for Mom: www.aplaceformom.com

California Department of Aging: www.aging.ca.gov

Caregiver Action Network: caregiveraction.org

Caregiving.com: www.caregiving.com

Department of Health and Human Services: www.eldercare.gov

Eisenhower Medical Center Five Star Club: www.emc.org

Family Caregiver Alliance: caregiver.org

Lotsa Helping Hands: www.lotsahelpinghands.com

Medicare Caregiver Resources: www.medicare.gov/campaigns/caregiver/caregiver.html

Mizell Senior Center: mizell.org

National Alliance for Caregiving: www.caregiving.org

National Council on Aging: www.ncoa.org

Riverside County Office on Aging: www.rcaging.org

Stroke Recovery Center: www.strokerecoverycenter.org

USA.gov: www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Health/caregivers.shtml