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Being Your Own Caregiver When There Is Nobody Else
This issue of Mental Health News examines the topic “Addressing the Needs of Caregivers.” The response to our theme was very enthusiastic with many people indicating how happy they were that we were examining this import and timely subject. Throughout the many wonderful articles in this issue...
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Don’t Let Caregiving Make You Sick
With more than 44 million family caregivers in the United States, chances are you or someone you know is taking care of a loved one. This can be an extremely rewarding experience as it allows caregivers the opportunity to demonstrate their love for someone dear. Yet, caregiving also can be quite...
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Family Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Needs
I still remember the presenter at a workshop who mentioned that parents of children with challenging behaviors are the second most stressed families of children with special needs. The other is those with severe medical conditions. We’re dealing with both as my daughter has autism and is...
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Giving Care to the Caregiver: Visiting Nurse Services in Westchester
Often, the homecare nurse will encounter that once-in-a lifetime individual who has decided to take on the huge task of being the primary caregiver for an ill family member. Their motivation may vary from person to person. It may be financial, concern for the quality of care, or just wanting to be...
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Helping Caregivers Understand the Challenges of End-of-Life Decision Making for Those with Mental Retardation
Birth is a beginning and death a destination. Those of us who are considered to have capacity to make decisions for ourselves are nevertheless often unprepared as we face the end-of-life. We live in a death denying culture, which frequently prevents many of us from considering our options when we...
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Me First? A Personal Account of Self Care
When flight attendants give their safety talk at the beginning of each flight- where everyone listens to their iPod or begins to read a magazine- they state: “If there is a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will fall from above. If you are traveling with a child or someone who needs your...
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Caring for The Caregiver: Becoming Fearless During Illness and Loss
When illness comes, the entire family network starts hurting. Everyone in it becomes sensitized and in need of greater attention and care. Rivalries may begin to develop with family members jockeying for control. A great deal of fear and anxiety can get stirred up. Sometimes an individual becomes...
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Caregivers Plan for the Future with Federation of Organizations’ Financial Management Program
What will happen when I am not around? How can I protect the future of my loved one? These are some of the questions that caregivers ask themselves as they search for reassuring answers. After years of work helping families to prepare for the future of their loved ones, there is one point we cannot...
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NAMI Westchester Family to Family Program Helps Caregivers
As a parent of an adult child living with Bipolar Disorder, I am all too aware of the stress that mental illness places on caregivers. I have struggled with the highs and lows and the overwhelming grief and the sense of loss for the life that my child could have had. When I was first pulled into...
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Addressing the Needs of Caregivers
Our society relies on families to provide care for disabled family members. They provide 80% of such care, and the financial value of their work is close to $400 billion per year. If families did not provide this care, it would add 15 to 20% to the costs of health care in the United States. I...
