Ask for help, you already have no April 4, 2011, 4:24 PM
One of our goals here at caregiverexchange.ca is to encourage caregivers to ask for help. All too often, caregivers feel alone in their caregiving duties and they don’t want to impose on others. A group of nurses recently told me that sometimes when they suggest to an elderly couple that they consider asking their adult children for assistance they’re quickly rebuffed. Their elderly clients tell them that their children have busy lives and that they don't want to be a burden to them. That may be the case or there may be other variables at play. That’s why it’s important to start thinking beyond family when it comes to caregiving. More hands make for lighter work and they don’t have to be the hands of blood relatives. Share The Care™ moves caregiving into an individual’s extended community. It’s a model of care that encourages people to approach non-family members too. Think close and not-so-close friends, neighbours (current and past), old schoolmates, former students, friends of friends, people you know from walking the dog and people you've met on vacation and so on... Now that you have a couple of ideas of who to ask, consider starting small, especially if you're uncomfortable with the idea. Ask one friend if they wouldn't mind giving you a call before they head out to the grocery store, just in case you need an item or two but can't get out. Approach another friend about keeping your partner company while you run an errand. Rome wasn’t built in a day. By taking an incremental approach your comfort level with asking for help is sure to increase. As my Dutch in-laws always used to say, “You already have no. What have you got to lose?”