Caregiver Education And Support
Calling all caregivers!
Are you a caregiver for your aging parents, ailing partner or disabled loved one? Are you a single parent? Do you feel exhausted, overwhelmed or helpless? Depressed or anxious? Burdened or resentful? Do you then feel guilty or ashamed for having these feelings? Caregivers, I see you! In my 25+ years as a clinical psychologist I have provided caregiver education and support in Nassau County and Queens County. I have helped caregivers who are based in homes, hospitals, long term care and assisted living facilities. If you are looking to find more balance in your life from someone knowledgeable and experienced in providing support for caregivers, please call me in my Great Neck office for a free 15 minute consultation.
Are you a caregiver?
Caregivers come in all shapes and sizes. Some provide care at home, and some visit their loved one in a facility. Some cook, clean and food shop while others help with transferring someone in and out of bed. Some may manage insurance issues or finances remotely, while others attend medical appointments and oversee medications. There are many different ways to provide care, but the emotional impact is often the same. I offer caregivers in the Great Neck area (and beyond) a haven for dealing with challenges, reducing stress, learning effective coping strategies and reclaiming some of their own lives.
Further Impact on Caregivers
On top of all of the above, a caregiver still needs to juggle the demands of his or her own life! Being inundated this way can jeopardize your physical and emotional health, your relationships, and the way you see yourself. My active support for caregivers in Great Neck aims to restore balance and help you connect with your own needs while caring for others.
Caring for yourself
These struggles are human and not unexpected in this context. Having said that, it doesn’t mean you have to entirely lose yourself and sacrifice your own well-being. Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. It is not sustainable to prioritize everyone and everything above yourself. Not only do you deserve some peace and happiness in your life, the reality is you can’t take care of others if you are falling apart. The caregiver education and support that I offer helps clients create realistic plans to safeguard their emotional and physical health while supporting their loved ones.​
What is your strategy?
You may be thinking to yourself, ‘Sure, I’m stressed out, but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m falling apart.’ That’s great! How do you keep it that way? If you are the type of person who typically just plows ahead until a task is completed, will that strategy work in a long term caregiving situation that could go on for years? Simply pushing ahead for a prolonged period is likely to lead to stress and anxiety, and ultimately burnout. I offer one on one caregiver support in NY. I work with clients to create and implement long-term strategies designed to reduce the risk of exhaustion and decrease the likelihood of reaching a breaking point.
Burnout versus Stress
Most people recognize stress, but they miss the slow creep of burnout. When stressed the body feels revved up and restless. There is a sense of pressure and frenzied activity from too much to do, too little time and too many responsibilities. You may feel like you are on physical and psychological overload. This often results in anxiety. In contrast, people often don’t know when they are burnt out. Symptoms can take months to surface. Over time, with chronic stress, caregivers can start to shut down or burn out. They may become isolated, unmotivated, apathetic and feel hopeless and helpless believing there is no end in sight for their suffering. This can result in depression. I help caregivers recognize burnout sooner and develop the skills to safeguard their own mental health.
Burdens of Caregiving
Being a caregiver can feel like having a second job… an unpaid job that can run 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and sometimes with no appreciation. Perhaps the person requiring care no longer remembers you, or is even fearful of you. Perhaps the person requiring care is demanding, combative or hostile due to their illness or their own emotional reaction to requiring assistance or being dependent.
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Role Changes in Caregiving
Caregiving is further complicated by accompanying role changes. Parents who are used to calling the shots are now being directed by their adult children. Children who are used to relying on their parents for guidance may now need to become the decision makers. I provide caregiver education and support so caregivers can handle these shifts with the knowledge, compassion and practical strategies they need.
Therapy is part of self-care
I cannot overstate the importance of self-care. That includes addressing your own mental health needs. I offer therapy, education and support for caregivers in the Great Neck area and more widely in NY via telehealth on a HIPAA compatible platform to best protect your privacy. If you are a caregiver in need of education, support or strategies for better coping, please contact me today to set up a free 15 minute consultation. I have so many tips and tools to share with you!