How to Get Support from Other Family Caregivers
Family Caregiver Support
Caregiver Westport CT
One of the best ways for a family caregiver to keep her stress levels under control is to have a support network. Support networks consist of other people who understand what you’re dealing with on a daily basis and who can relate. They not only offer support but they can also offer advice and share information that they’ve learned from their own caregiving experiences.
Join Local Support Groups
Local support groups are much easier to find than you might think at first. Check with your loved ones doctors, senior care providers, and senior agencies to locate support groups that fit with your needs. You may want to join groups that are centered around your loved one’s particular health concerns or you might want to join groups that allow you to simply connect with other family caregivers. These meetings happen at all different times and on different days, so hopefully it’s easy to fit them into your schedule.
Visit Online Forums
Online forums are even easier for most family caregivers than in-person meetings are because they don’t require you to change clothes or to even leave your home. You can spend as much time or as little time as you have available because there’s usually not a formal meeting structure. Many of these groups take place in a forum, but there are also meetings that happen in chat rooms according to a more set schedule. You can pick and choose where and how you get involved, which can be the easiest way for you to get the support that you need, when you need it.
Talk to Friends and Family Members
Don’t overlook friends and family members as potential participants in your own informal support group, particularly if they’re helping with your loved one’s care as they’re able. They are likely to know your situation extremely well, which means that they can relate on a more specific level than other support group members might. They may also have felt that you didn’t want to talk about what’s going on with your loved one’s health, so that could have kept them from speaking up before.
Once you have a network of other family caregivers to talk to, you’re likely to feel less stressed over your regular caregiving duties.