Caregivers: 10 Gifts to Give Yourself This Holiday Season

The demands of caregiving can be overwhelming, especially if you feel you have little control over the situation or you’re in over your head. As the season for gift giving quickly approaches, take the time this year to give these ten gifts to yourself. They will not only make for a more enjoyable Holiday Season, but may also rejuvenate you into the New Year.

1. Take time for you
Take at least 30 minutes a day to do what you enjoy. Be it reading a book, go for a walk, or just sit in the tub, setting aside 30 minutes to decompress will do wonders. 

2. Start a Journal 
A journal is often a great way to release pent up emotions and clear swirling thoughts. This journal can be in the form of a public blog, a notebook "for-you-eyes-only". Whichever you prefer, the important thing is that you are able to relinquish some burden onto paper. Abraham Lincoln often did this; writing down his frustrations with another individual in the form of a letter and never sending them. 

3. Indulge in one of life's simple pleasures
Do you enjoy fresh cut flowers? Purchase or cut some. Do you enjoy the sound of rain or the crackling of a fireplace? Search for it on YouTube. These simple pleasures can give you a smile or allow you to let out a sigh, they are much worth it. 

4. Join a community group of caregivers either online or in person
Caregiver communities are not only a way to get you out of the house, but they also get you moving, provide a social outlet, and reduce feelings of isolation. Online groups offer the convince of touching base with people from all around the world with similar interests or problems on your own time, through email, websites, message boards, and social media. To start, join me each Monday at 4pmPT/7pmPT on Twitter at #Nurseup.  

5. Play a song from your youth
Just last night I heard the song, "Wind Beneath my Wings" by Bette Midler. To my husbands surprise, and my own, I couldn't stop myself from moving and singing along to all the lyrics. These songs not only bring back memories, but bring an uncanny joy.  

6. As for help or say "yes" when someone offers to help
Asking or accepting help is far from a sign of weakness, rather it's the sign of balance. Allowing for others to step in will create a tight-knit community of support for you and your loved on. If it takes a village to raise a child, how many does it take to care for an aging loved one?  

7. Visit with friends. 
If it is difficult to leave the house, invite friends over to visit with you over coffee, tea, or dinner. It’s important that you interact with others.

8.  Set up a regular check-in. 
Ask a family member, friend, or volunteer from your church or senior center to call you on a set basis (every day, weekly, or how ever often you'd like). This person can help you spread status updates and coordinate with other family members.

9. Find the silver lining. 
Think about the ways caregiving has made you stronger or how it’s brought you closer to person you’re taking care of or to other family members. Think about how caregiving allows you to give back and show your love. This can be used with other areas too. Make it a practice to make it a conscious decision to see the glass half full. 

10. Field-trip 
Some people find that enjoying nature and outdoor activities is very rejuvenating, or they stimulate their senses by visiting a museum, attending a concert, or taking a cooking class. What works for you? Invite friends or join a tour guide. These "field-trips" may be a nice monthly treat. 

Twitter Talk on Burnout

Join Leah Korkis, Founder of Healthy Now and Later, 
and Andrew Lopez on Twitter!

Sunday November 10th, at 6pm PST at #NurseUp we will be discussing burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress disorder. 

In case you missed this tweetchat, here are the transcripts to our conversation.

As of 2012, just over a quarter of all adults within the United States are caregivers for their elder parents, costing an average of 3 trillion dollars a years in lost wages, pensions, and social security as a result of their tardiness, absenteeism, or leaving the workforce all together. This is because 1 in 6 caregivers in America hold full-time or part-time employment. Given the aging population and increase in the need for caregivers, an understanding of the risk of compassion fatigue among nurses and other healthcare professionals who care for elderly relatives is particularly urgent. 

Good News for Caregivers

Family caregivers live longer than their peers

Caring for a disabled family member can be emotionally taxing, physically draining, and financially challenging. However, for those who bear such responsibilities, comes great joy, fulfillment, and memories. Not to mention, possibly a longer life. It's true! New research has brought to light a new positive to being a caregiver. 

In a nationwide study, adults who provided care for a chronically ill or disabled family member had a lower death rate than a similar group of non-caregivers. 

The finding was actually a completely surprise.

"(We want to) emphasize the positive message that caregiving is a healthy thing that we should be doing in our families," says lead study author Dr. David L. Roth, director of the Johns Hopkins University Center on Aging and Health, to Reuters Health.

Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, who directs the Geriatric Education Center at Stanford University School of Medicine in California told Reuters Health the current study's findings are "surprising… because prior studies did find an association between caregiver stress and mortality."

Gallagher-Thompson pointed out that the caregivers included in Roth's study were not heavily stressed, however. They didn't all have their ill family member living with them full time. Some caregivers may have just visited their charges, the report indicates. "Previous studies that have reported high stress and increased mortality have focused on dementia," said Gallagher-Thompson.

In the past, researchers have found just the opposite - an increased risk of poor mental and physical health among people caring for their spouse or a person with dementia, for example. However, these were isolated cases of small sample size. Moreover, in contrast, this study did not distinguish between caregivers of people with dementia and those with other conditions.

Roth noted that poorer health among caregivers is "undoubtedly true" in some cases, especially among those caring for people with dementia. However, he highlighted that "caregiving stress has been over exaggerated". 

Of the 3,503 caregivers included in the study, over 80% said they were experiencing either no mental or emotional strain or only a moderate level of such strain. Only 578 - or less than one in five - felt their caregiving caused them "high strain." Roughly two thirds of the caregivers were female. About a third were adult children, and about one in five were spouses. Slightly more than half provided care for less than 14 hours a week.

During the nine years the study was conducted, about 7.5 percent of caregivers died, compared to about 9 percent of the same number of non-caregivers. This averages to an 18% lower death rate among caregivers than among their non-caregiving counterparts.

"In a way you can say this is good news," said Gallagher-Thompson, who was not involved in the study. "If you‘re caring for someone with long-term (illness or disability in some cases), it may actually provide you with some health benefits."

Reasons for the lower rate of death among caregivers may have to do with their own self-selection, Roth said. Considering the low number of spouse caregivers included in the study, the non-spouse caregivers who chose to provide care to their family members "may be healthier, better adjusted people who have their own house in order," he said.

Gallagher-Thompson thinks maybe altruism, spirituality, and resilience among caregivers also played a role. "Some caregivers are able to roll with the punches," she said.

So keep it up caregivers! 

SOURCE: bit.ly/H6ejhF American Journal of Epidemiology