{"id":2473,"date":"2026-10-05T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/148\/?p=2473"},"modified":"2026-09-14T11:19:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T16:19:10","slug":"caregiving-tip-of-the-week-10-5-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/148\/illinois\/melrosepark\/blog\/caregiving-tip-of-the-week-10-5-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Caregiving Tip of the Week: The Most Honest Sentence a Caregiver Can Say"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekly Caregiving Tip is for you, <\/span>to help you express your love for another human being.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are all caregivers.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you are a client, a caregiver<\/a>, a caregiving spouse or family member, a medical provider, or anyone in the business of caring, we are your source for useful caregiving tips that bring connection to your caring work.<\/span><\/p>\n

What:<\/h2>\n

A wife had been caring for her husband for three years. Parkinson’s<\/a>. Then a small stroke. Then more falls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her friends asked how she was. She said, \u201cI’m fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her sister asked if she needed help. She said, \u201cOh, we’re managing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her doctor asked how she was sleeping. She said, \u201cPretty well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She was not fine. She was not managing. She was not sleeping.<\/span><\/p>\n

One Tuesday, her sister called again. This time, the wife took a breath. She said two true sentences:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am not okay. I need help.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Her sister was at her door by Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

So What:<\/h2>\n

Caregivers are some of the most generous people on earth. We give and give. We are afraid that asking for help will make us look weak. Or like we are failing the person we love.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opposite is true.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vanessa Van Edwards, the behavioral researcher who wrote Cues, teaches that the most respected leaders are the ones who balance warmth and competence. Warm enough to say I care. Strong enough to say what is really happening.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need help\u201d is both. It is warm because it trusts the other person. It is strong because it tells the truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

To ask for help is to give someone the gift of being needed.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Now What:\u00a0 Try this\u2026<\/h2>\n

This week, practice two sentences. Out loud. In the mirror if you have to.<\/span><\/p>\n