Care for
Caregivers
by Teresa Bell Kindred
Meeting the needs of a chronically ill person, or an
elderly person is a big challenge. When care giving is done on
a daily basis those challenges can sometimes feel
overwhelming.
Think of it this way, what if you were an avid mountain
climber and every morning for the next five years you got up
and climbed a mountain? After so long, no matter how much you
loved mountain climbing, the task would become more difficult.
You would get weary and be in need of rest. If you became
discouraged enough, you might just decide to sit at the bottom
of the mountain and let someone else climb it for a change!
And that might not be a bad idea.
Being a responsible for someone else’s health and safety
is a tough job. Just ask new parents! Often what happens is
that the care giver is concentrating so hard on
"giving" that they forget their own needs. Just as a
car won’t run on a single tank of gas, a caregiver can’t
continue to give unless they replenish their own resources!
Here are some tips to help these important people do a very
important job:
1. Take at least one day off every week, more if
possible. If not a whole day, then a half. Find someone
else to be in charge of your patient and do something fun or
relaxing. Sit beside a brook and listen to the trickle of
water. Read a book. Stroll through the mall.Go for a long walk
to clear your head. The important thing is to get a change of
scenery and recharge your batteries. Even God rested on the
seventh day, you need to do the same!
2. Share your responsibilities with others. In our
area Home Health programs offer services for the elderly.
Three days a week these wonderful ladies come and bathe my
grandmother and care for her other personal needs, like
trimming nails and washing her hair. It helps my grandmother
and it helps me by relieving me of a few responsibilities.
Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or call the nearest
hospital and inquire as to what services and support groups
are available. Speak with your pastor about your needs and
concerns. Many congregations have programs to support care
givers.
3. The power of prayer applies to caregivers too! Pray
about the person you are caring for and don’t forget to pray
for yourself. You need strength, stamina, and patience. Follow
in Jesus' footsteps and study how He ministered to those in
need. He understands your needs as well as those of the person
you are caring for.
4. Don’t be afraid to laugh. Laughter is truly the
best medicine and whenever possible we should use it to
lighten our load. Of course, we have to be sensitive to those
we are ministering to, but they need laughter even more than
we do! My grandmother is 89 and she often confuses the
television remote with the telephone. She laughs when the
phone rings and she answers the remote and so do we. A
house without laughter is a cold house indeed. When possible
warm up your home and your hearts with bright smiles and the
sound of laughter.
5. Realize that you are only human and Jesus is the
great physician...not you.
No matter how badly you want the person you are caring
for to feel better, be younger, stronger, whatever, there are
definite limits on what you can do.
On the other hand, there are no limits to what God can do.
Imagine for a moment you are carrying a heavy package. Let’s
pretend it weighs about 40 pounds. Now imagine you take that
package and walk on an ice covered sidewalk. More than likely
what will happen?
But what if you walked on that slippery sidewalk without
your heavy package? Would you feel safer? Would you be you
less likely to fall?
Psalm 55:22 says "Give your burdens to the Lord and He
will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to
slip and fall."
Give Him your burdens. Your load will be lighter. Your path
will be safer and He won’t let you fall.
Teresa Bell Kindred cared for her mother during her
terminal illness, and for her father after his heart surgery.
Her grandmother had a light stroke last fall and now lives
with Teresa, her husband, and their five children. Visit
Teresa online at www.teresakindred.com
