SARCOID CONNECTION--Sarcoidosis Carers Tips/Rights

"The Basics"

"Ten Tips for Family Caregivers"

"Caregivers' Bill of Rights"

THE BASICS

[Editor's Note: I have assembled these basic tips to assist carers in maintaining a healthy and happy life while caring for a loved one.]

Take one day at a time.

Be positive and always plan for success.

Take time for yourself and maintain social contacts.

Eat healthy, exercise regularly and get sufficient rest.

Learn to relax and do it on a regular basis.

Don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Accept help when it is offered.

Attend a carers group when you need support.

Make use of available services and resources.

Acknowledge and accept your feelings.

TEN TIPS FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS

These tips are provided by the National Family Caregiver's Association. Visit their Web site for more valuable carer information along with contact and membership details.

Choose to take charge of your life, and don't let your loved one's illness or disability always take center stage.

Remember to be good to yourself. Love, honor and value yourself. You're doing a very hard job and you deserve some quality time, just for you.

Watch out for signs of depression, and don't delay in getting professional help when you need it.

When people offer to help, accept the help and suggest specific things that they can do.

Educate yourself about your loved one's condition. Information is empowering.

There's a difference between caring and doing. Be open to technologies and ideas that promote your loved one's independence.

Trust your instincts. Most of the time they'll lead you in the right direction.

Grieve for your losses, and then allow yourself to dream new dreams.

Stand up for your rights as a caregiver and a citizen.

Seek support from other caregivers. There is great strength in knowing you are not alone.

CAREGIVER'S BILL OF RIGHTS

[Editor's Note: These tips excerpted from Caregiving: Helping An Aging Loved One, Jo Horne, AARP Books, 1985. They can be viewed along with other carer information at the National Family Caregiver's Association Web site.]

I have the right... to take care of myself. This is not an act of selfishness. It will give me the capability of taking better care of my relative.

I have the right... to seek help from others even though my relatives may object. I recognize the limits of my own endurance and strength.

I have the right... to maintain facets of my own life that do not include the person I care for, just as I would if he or she were healthy. I know that I do everything that I reasonably can for this person, and I have the right to do some things just for myself.

I have the right... to get angry, be depressed, and express other difficult feelings occasionally.

I have the right... to reject any attempts by my relative (either conscious or unconscious) to manipulate me through guilt and/or depression.

I have the right... to receive consideration, affection, forgiveness, and acceptance from my loved one for what I do, for as long as I offer these qualities in return.

I have the right... to take pride in what I am accomplishing and to applaud the courage it has sometimes taken to meet the needs of my relative.

I have the right... to protect my individuality and my right to make a life for myself that will sustain me in the time when my relative no longer needs my full-time help.

I have the right... to expect and demand that as new strides are made in finding resources to aid physically and mentally impaired persons in our country, similar strides will be made towards aiding and supporting caregivers.

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Compiled by Chris Townsend, Sarcoid Connection
cmtown@excite.com
Last Modified on October 4, 2003


Caregiver's Connection - Tips & Rights