Me & My Caregivers Articles
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Caregiver Coping Strategies When Caring for a Mentally Ill Adult
The caregiver role is complex and differs for everyone depending on the needs of the care-receiver. If your loved-one has a severe and persistent mental illness, chances are you are already familiar with the burdens of long-term caregiving. Family caregivers give a great deal of themselves in terms of time, money, and social support.Caregiving of adults with long-term mental illness involves discontinuities in the lives of both the caregiver and the are-receiver. Caregiving in mental illness may involve normal caregiving duties or tending to physical ailments. In addition, caregivers spend much time and energy in trying to obtain services from the mental health, welfare, and medical systems, and in interactions with the legal and criminal justice system.
In 1989, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimated there were 4 to 5 million adult Americans with a serious mental illness. It has been estimated that in the United States, 65% of psychiatric hospital patients are discharged to their families.
Mental illness caregivers often experience a double dose of stress. Practical strategies for coping may include:
- Learn more about mental illness, services, and resources. Press providers for more information.
- Develop stress management skills.
- Seek personal counseling.
- Join a family support group and a caregiver support group.
- Explore ways in which the relationship/family has affected your life.
- Identify your feelings and share them with others.
- Accept that you cannot control any other person’s behavior and that you are ultimately responsible for your own well-being.
- Examine your expectations (of yourself and others) and make a commitment to challenge all negative expectations.
- Recognize mental illness as a disease.
- Release the attitude of blame.
- Forgive yourself and others for any mistakes that may have been made along the way. Forgive and release those who may have harmed you.
- Learn to appreciate your own self-worth, regardless of what is going on with your care-receiver.
- Set daily, monthly, and yearly goals.
- Reaffirm your accomplishments.
- Become a personal and political advocate.
The role as caregiver of a mentally ill adult, is one for which family members are often untrained and unprepared. Mental illness caregivers have to deal with the difficult behaviors of the care-receiver. Activities of daily living often become difficult to manage. Each day brings new challenges as the care-receiver’s disease progresses. Caring for a person with mental illness can be overwhelming. It is important to have care plan and a good support system.
The Key to Caregiving Survival: Personal Strategic Planning
Do you have a personal strategic plan? Most caregivers develop a care plan for taking care of their loved-one or patient without giving much thought to their own personal strategic plan.Businesses use strategic planning to improve their return on their financial equity, while individuals use strategic planning to increase their return on energy. Your personal equity or investments consist of the physical, emotional, and mental energies you have available. Good planning efforts could help you to realize a greater return on your energy and health while reducing stress.
Caring for someone who is chronically ill, or who requires constant attention, is an extremely demanding job. The pressures of caregiving plus the demand of doing a quality job contribute to your stress levels. Caregivers owe it to themselves to recognize and care for their own needs, in addition to those of the patient. Take responsibility for your personal well-being and getting your needs met.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What is important to me?
- What are my caregiving goals?
- What is my action plan for accomplishing my goals?
- What is it that I do especially well?
- What do I need help with? Have I given careful thought to matching tasks to people correctly in terms of competence, experience, interest and potential?
- Do I have a good sense of humor?
- What are my stressors, and my reactions to them?
- Are my expectations accurate?
- Do I have adequate physical and emotional reserves?
- Am I maintaining balance between work demands and my personal life?
- Am I utilizing my support system? Who can I talk to?
- Am I staying connected to family and friends?
- What is my respite plan?
Your success in caregiving survival will be determined to a large extent by your ability to think, plan, and take action. Strategic thinking and planning can be used by you to avoid situations that could put you and your loved-one at risk. Remember to prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and plan for the unexpected.
