If you’ve talked to your doctor about your role as a family caregiver to an older adult, they may have suggested to you that you join a caregiver support group. There are all kinds of caregiver support groups. Some of them are specific to the condition of the person the caregiver is caring for. Others are organized around the relationship between the caregiver and the person receiving care, such as people who are caregivers to a spouse or a parent. There are also online caregiver support groups, those that meet in person, ones that are led by trained facilitators, and ones that are peer led. Regardless of the kind of caregiver support group that works best for you, you’re sure to experience many benefits, like the 4 described below.
#1: Emotional Expression
Caregiver support groups are a place where you can talk about how being a caregiver makes you feel. All the emotions. The good ones and the ones you’re not so sure are okay. You’ll discover that no matter what you are feeling, someone else has felt the same way. All your emotions are normal. Your feelings won’t be judged because support groups are safe places.
#2: Learn Caregiver Tips
People who attend caregiver support groups are from all levels of experience. Some of them will have been caregivers for longer than you, so they might have some tips to share that solve a problem you’re experiencing. If you attend a caregiver group that is specific to your aging relative’s condition, you may also learn more about the condition itself.
#3: Make Friends
Lots of people meet new friends in a support group. They discover they have a lot in common with the people in the group and end up socializing with them outside the group meetings. It’s great to have a friend who can relate to what you’re going through. In addition, when you make more friends, you increase your support system and may even be able to do favors for one another, like stopping at the grocery store or looking after the other person’s care recipient for an hour or two.
#4: Coping Skills
Hearing from others about how they deal with their experience as a caregiver can help you to build your own coping skills. For example, another support group member might share a stress relief technique they use. You might also discover new ways to keep your cool and avoid lashing out in frustration at the older adult or another family caregiver for your aging relative.
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Caregivers in Redington Beach, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.
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Becky Moultrie is Owner and Administrator of Assisting Hands Home Care Serving Pinellas. Guided by a motto to Do Good with Love, she’s well positioned to do just that at Assisting Hands. She has a passion for helping families keep seniors and those who are diabled happy and healthy at home. She serves on a number of boards in Pinellas County including the Pinellas Park Gateway Chamber and Better Living Seniors (BLS), leading the Membership Committee. Annually, she hosts a Silver Santa Party, collecting donations for nearly 100 low income seniors in the county. She attends Blessed Sacrament Church, Seminole where she is an Ascribed Member of the Rosminian Order. When not busy Doing Good in the community, Becky is at home with her husband David & their 4 children, tending to their beehives and digging in the garden.
