Don’t Forget Yourself While Caring for Others By Anna Maria Clement, PhD, LN Caregiving is one of the noblest attributes that we can share with others. Instinctively, it is most people’s desire to protect and support those they love. In this world where we have not been taught to honor our self, we often give without boundaries to such a degree that it becomes a detriment rather than a positive experience. As one who naturally, and in a maternal
their youth, it is a formidable responsibility.
in the field of care. Now in my 47th year,
commitment and are heavily taxing.
way, loves to nurture, I gravitated to work there is a lot of clarity as to the help and harm that this vocation offers.
In the 1980s when I was attending nursing school, I chose to temporarily work in a
nursing home to gain insight on how we treat our aging population.
Society has historically protected its
seniors; it is a new phenomenon that we
stick them in facilities so they can be cared for by others. With dementia, Alzheimer’s
and frailty sky rocketing - at the same time as work demands are increasing - it is easy to justify removing your loved ones from
your life. For those courageous people who do embrace their responsibility and return
These actions demand a high level of Caregivers often feel unappreciated,
exhausted, and are vulnerable to illness.
This compounds when those you care for find no resolution and it seems hopeless and eternal.
Women are far more likely to be caregivers
due to their maternal instincts and the role that they play within the nuclear family.
A recent study conducted by Supriya Sakar M.S. Gerontology 2015 showed that in
a total of 207 family caregivers, 25 were males, compared with 182 females;
women were more stressed and suffered more depression.
the love and support that they received in
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