The basic definition of caregiving is to provide support and help to a person in need, whether that person is a spouse, aging relative or disabled person. More than 65 million Americans are caregivers, and with the rapidly aging population, many caregivers have no professional health care training at all. While caring for a loved […]
“Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9). It has been said that genius is 1 percent inspiration, and 99 percent perspiration. Humans were made to be goal oriented. “Without vision, the people perish.” (Prov. 29:18). Boredom […]
Ambivalence, which means having simultaneous conflicting thoughts and feelings about a situation, is common for most people dealing with the death of a loved one. An example that is almost always confusing and guilt inducing is being heartbroken, really not knowing how life can continue without this person around anymore, while at the same time […]
Bipolar disorder involves more than the ordinary mood changes people experience in response to the ups and downs of life. It involves bipolar episodes. The person’s thinking, feeling and behavior changes noticeably and affects their daily functioning. Sometimes the person will only have a few bipolar symptoms rather than an episode.
Family caregivers generally earn their job title in one of two ways. The first is what I call the “sneak up mode.” The second is “crisis mode.” Sneak-Up Mode For me, caregiving began with an elderly neighbor who needed some assistance. This “assistance” turned into a five-year stint of elder care, closely followed by the […]
