No Need for Caregiver Guilt.

Happy New Year! You’ve put on a few unwanted pounds over the holidays and now you feel guilty for enjoying yourself a little too much. So much for the “happy” part. Guilt is a natural reaction when you know you did something you shouldn’t have done. Guilt also plays into our heads when we’ve done everything we should have with all of the right intentions, but somehow, it’s just not enough. Enter the guilt trip which isn’t an enjoyable ride, especially when it comes to caregiving for your elderly parent(s).

Being a caregiver has loads of guilt attached to it but it shouldn’t. It’s not a healthy way to start the new year for you or the elderly parent(s) that you’re caring for. Guilt can cripple you mentally with sadness that you just can’t do enough or that you can’t be there for your elderly parents all of the time. Many times anger rears its ugly head to nag you that you’re in this situation to begin with, then add some shame to your guilt that you even feel this way in the first place. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Some adult children care deeply about their elderly parents and feel overwhelming guilt over seeing them decline in health, and that puts an unnecessary burden on you, if you’re the caregiver. You feel trapped in the guilt and are trying to balance out your love at the same time.

Or, what if you don’t have warm and fond memories from your past with this parent, but now you’re in the position as caregiver? There is anger, resentment towards this parent, and you feel as if you’re being crushed by a vault of guilt like a steel trapped door.

We all want to please, but no matter what we do, how much we do it, it’s simply not enough. Guilty again. While guilt is natural to the caregiver, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Advertisements for weight loss claim; “It’s a New Year and time for a New You!” The same applies to being a guilt-free caregiver. There are viable options for you to consider, but there’s no guarantee that the road is an easy one.

Well, let’s give it a try! With every New Year, it allows us the chance to start fresh. We’ve put together some different ways to start getting rid of the guilt as you start 2012.

1. Simply, drop the guilt. Just because you feel that you can’t do everything perfectly, doesn’t mean that you have to beat yourself up. Its time to let that guilt go.

2. Go easy on yourself. You are doing the best you can and you can't fix every single problem. Cut yourself some slack.

3. Learn to say no. Take time this year to think through every request and only say yes to those you can truly fulfill, without the guilt.

4. Get some help in 2012 before you feel like you're stressed to the breaking point. Remember, no guilt.

There is much more on the topic of caregiver guilt with some in-depth insights on how to alleviate guilt.

Serving Seniors offers you peace of mind. We have a team of professionals trained in all areas of elderly care and can help get you the help you need, guilt free. We’re recognized as one of 32 Fellow Certified Geriatric Care Managers in the USA as recognized by the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.

Call us for a consultation so we can help you and your loved ones. I appreciate your interest in Serving Seniors and we’re looking forward to helping you and your family navigate these rough waters with the best personalized care out there.

Thanks,

Diane