Help Is for Us, Too
When we feel stymied by a caree’s refusal, we can consider what we need.
On Friday, I connected with a family caregiver who shared a common conundrum. Her parents refuse to consider help as they decline and struggle to manage their increasing care needs at home.
When a caree refuses help, we can feel completely out of options. Unless they accept help, we can believe that the situation is beyond our control.
When a caree refuses help, we can instead consider what we need. Consider:
Who and what can help you manage your frustration and overwhelm?
How can others help you? How can technology help you?
What plans can you create so you are as ready as possible when an emergency or crisis occurs?
In addition, we can begin on-going conversations with other family members about how we can best manage the situation. For instance, I suggested to the family caregiver from Friday that she have regular discussions with her siblings, that they create a schedule for daily check-in calls with their parents, and think through how they manage when the emergency happens. She’ll also use our Family Emergency Planning Tool and guidance from Jennifer Richey, one of our Certified Caregiving Consultants, in her conversations with her siblings.
When a caree refuses help, we can decide to receive help for ourselves.
What help can you receive?
Resources
A Plan for You After a Family Member’s Diagnosis: How do you manage after a family member’s diagnosis? Join us on the first Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET to talk it out, figure it out and plan it out.
Family Emergency Planning: Connect with a Certified Caregiving Consultant on the fourth Friday at 1 p.m. ET to create your plans for the “What ifs?”.
Get Caregiving Answers: Join our group on our community, Caring Our Way, to connect with Certified Caregiving Consultants. We’ll share ideas, suggestions and, most important, our support.
The Six Caregiving Stages offers insights to help you manage today and prepare for tomorrow.
Join our Certified Family Care Manager training: When we take on the care of a family member, we often feel alone as we figure out how to manage and provide care. We’d love for you to enroll in our pilot training program to become a Certified Family Care Manager (CFCM). When you participate in our pilot, you receive our virtual training at the discounted price of $20 while giving us feedback to improve our training and your experience with our training.