1. What About Me?: Caring for Yourself as a Caregiver
directions to Harnett County location
Guest House - copy of poem
laptop and cord
jump drive
ppt on desktop
Caregiver class outline
Self-care questionnaire
Self-care handout
Betsy Barton, MPH

2. Roadmap for Today’s Session
How’s the water??
Why self-care is important when we are caregivers
Strategies for success

3. Feel familiar?
Before
After

4. You’re not alone!
Families provide 80% of the long-term care in the U.S.
60% of caregivers show signs of depression
75% of caregivers in the U.S. are women
About 15.7 million adult family caregivers care for someone who has Alzheimer’s Disease
or other dementia
Stress of family caregiving for persons with dementia has been shown to impact a person's immune system for up to three years after their caregiving ends
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 30, 2003.
Nearly three quarters (72%) of family caregivers report not going to the doctor as often as they should
55% say they skip doctor appointments for themselves. 63% of caregivers report having poor eating habits than non-caregivers
58% indicate worse exercise habits than before caregiving responsibilities.
Evercare Study of Caregivers in Decline: A Close-Up Look at Health Risks of Caring for a Loved One
This level of stress can take as much as 10 years off a family caregiver's life.
From the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec 7, 2004, Vol 101, No. 49.

5. We’re all in the same boat…
The man goes to the Wizard and asks
“Do you have anything that stops the aging process?”
… and the Wizard answers…

6. “Sure! What kind of disease would you like?”

7. … But we’re in denial!
Seven in ten people in the U.S. will need long- term care at some point after age 65
Average length of long term care: 3 years
Only 24% predict they will need help, though half have
already been caregivers!
(Center for Public Affairs Research)

8. How does caregiving-related stress affect us?
Physical
Behavioral (how we act or behave)
Emotional
Cognitive
Spiritual

9. Caregivers report… Sleep deprivation Poor eating habits
Failure to exercise
Failure to rest when ill
Postponing or not making medical appointments for themselves
Again… sound familiar?

10. Caregiver Self-Assessment
How are YOU?

11. What gets in the way? “I’m being selfish”
“I don’t have time to think about myself”
“I don’t know how to ask for help”
“Asking for help feels like I’m a failure”
“I’m the only one who can do it right”
“If I do this, I will get the respect I deserve”
“I promised my ____ I would always take care of my ____”

12. Next steps: Caring for yourself
Circle items on the list that you would like to incorporate
into your life right now,
as a caregiver

13. What words of wisdom would you share with a friend who is embarking on a caregiving journey?

14. The Five Invitations Don’t wait!
Welcome everything, push away nothing.
Bring your whole self to the experience.
Find a place of rest in the middle of things
Cultivate “don’t know” mind

15. Closing Poem: “The Guest House”