Are you a caregiver? If yes, you may have surely experienced how loneliness gradually grips a caregiver. This is more when the cycle of providing caregiving duties to a loved one seems never-ending. In some cases, caregivers do not have such experience due to help available from other family members. However, some family caregivers are not that fortunate.
They become stressed about how to fulfill their duties while having a work-life balance. This starts to affect their physical and emotional health. They become depressed, anxious, or sad. Remember, it demands a lot of compassion and love to become a successful caregiver.
Caregiving demands so much time that caregivers have no time left for their own social circle. Due to not able to keep any contact with their friends or relatives, they start to feel isolated. The condition worsens for those who take care of a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer.
Some even become prone to substance abuse due to their inability to cope with caregiving stress. This not only affects their health but also put their care recipients at high risk. No wonder, there is a need for emotional support for caregivers.
How to provide emotional support for caregivers?
The problem is many people don’t know how to provide emotional support to caregivers. No, you don’t have to take over the caregiving duties to give them an essential break from their duties. If you are a friend, colleague or relative of someone who is caring for his or her partner, children, parents, seniors, or a loved one, you may be eager to provide some emotional support.
Here are a few ideas by which you can provide emotional support to caregivers.
Listen sympathetically
If you are living far away and not able to visit the caregiver whom you want to help, lending an ear can be an effective way of providing the much-needed emotional support. Give them a call and listen sympathetically without becoming judgmental. They should know that you are always available for them whenever they want to share their experiences, joys or sorrows.
Take them out
Spending quality time with friends can have a positive effect on the emotional wellbeing of a person. So, if you are not eager to share their caregiving responsibilities, you can take them out for shopping or a day at a museum or park. This can make a lot of difference in their daily life because socialization with friends can make them feel alive!
Run errands
Filling the car with fuel, picking up groceries or even fetching clothes from the cleaner can make them feel a little less overwhelmed with their caregiving duties. Being a caregiver, they remain so much occupied with the day-to-day caring of their loved ones that they feel exhausted. Helping them in running errands gives them some time to rest or indulge in self-care which is extremely important.
Lastly, you can also encourage them to join a community of caregivers to have a platform where they can freely share their experiences and challenges. Meanwhile, you can also help them by motivating them to practice yoga and meditation daily.