Day Thirty!
Dr. Andrea Holzner, PhD, MPhil, CCP
International leader in geriatric (dementia)patient care education (Gerontologist); keynote, speaker. Published researcher / author; Court expert testimony. The Gerontologist manuscript and doctoral editor.
Well, here we are at day thirty, December 30th 2024, with the New Year in a few days!
First of all, I am honored to share these tips and thoughts with you and I am so incredibly appreciative for the messages about your family stories, questions, and concerns. We are in this together!
As the new year approaches, I want to talk a bit about conversations we have with OURSELVES. Caregivers spend so much time with their loved ones with dementia, it can easily lead to negative self talk with all the hardships experienced as "I have no support", "I am exhausted", "I wish I could help my loved one better", "my body hurts"...to name a few.
Even though the reality may be impacting your mind, body, and emotions / spirit, negative self talk perpetuates the heavy burden experienced. The mind is a powerful tool! and it seeks to materialize what we think about daily.
Let's focus on the issue of needing support:
While it is isolating and exhausting being a 24/7 caregiver, and trust me, I have experienced it, instead of repeating "this is exhausting", let's focus on turning that into a positive. When reality is miles away from our desire, well, there is emotional and physical conflict within us. This is why professionals discuss mindfulness. It doesn't take away from the issue at hand, no. It does however help us calm our mind, find solutions, and ease our body and stress. Mindfulness is aligning thought, words, and actions.
Here is an example:
Negative self-talk:
"I am exhausted from 24/7 caregiving and no one supports me!"
Positive self-talk:
"I am caring 24/7 now, what options are available?"
The second self-talk give us a bit of calm, freedom and options to explore with:
~support groups
领英推荐
~Gerontologists (as myself)
~audiobooks for challenging situations (listen while caregiving)
~caregiving support and home care as Comfort Keepers
~reach out to insurance groups for covered care
~see physical therapist for support with daily activities
When we change our self-talk, we begin to see change in our clarity as well as not being in a frantic mode. When we change our self-talk to a more gentle discussion, we can begin to think clearly for support. There is support for you.
As I chat with caregiver support groups for adults with dementia, we discuss daily activities, issues, Alzheimer's, caregiver options, and we move beyond awareness, to action. A geriatric specialist can provide assessing your situation and provide not only knowledge and solutions, but resources. It takes a community to uplift us all.
If you are experiencing exhaustion and challenges related to caregiving, please reach out and DM me or contact us via Ages Intl.
We are here to help change that negative self-talk to self-empowerment!
Wishing you wellness,
Dr. Holzner