This episode is about the most an important aspect of caregiving that affects everyone, because caregivers affect society. They manage lives of those who can’t do for themselves and care for their own families while holding down jobs. That means they touch many lives so it’s important they are as healthy as can be. Caregivers are the first to jump in and help when someone needs it and that’s great, but they need to know when to stop and take care of themselves. Having a plan for caregiving is the best way to prevent caregiver burnout. You can create a plan at any moment. It should include include how you’ll get help, managing daily self-care and knowing your limits. A situation where someone needs care may be urgent but it doesn’t always remain that way, so transitional caregiving is essential. It’s important to listen to other people who care about you and not be defensive about your caregiving. Your care recipient will listen to you when you set an example for them. It’s admirable to be a caregiver but your life is just as important as theirs and by devaluing your life and not taking care of yourself you’re setting a poor example for your family and placing a burden of guilt on the care recipient. It’s the truth and we like to make it sound different because it’s difficult to admit that we don’t care enough about ourselves to put our lives ahead of our care recipient. I have two daughters and When my mother developed early onset dementia at age 59, she had no one else to care for her. I speak from experience when I say There’s a way to incorporate your own well-being within the realms of caregiving for someone else but it takes effort and conscious determination to place yourself at a higher priority. It begins with ignoring others opinions about the type of care you should provide or the person you should be. You can move forward taking care of yourself without guilt when you do this. You can even decide not to take care of someone if it’s not good for you. There will always be someone who disagrees but it’s not their life. It’s yours. I pray you will value the life that’s yours before anyone else’s, so you can shine and be good for all those you care for. Http://samdamm.com. wwwredefiningcaregivingbook.com

---

This episode is sponsored by

· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

---

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/samantha-damm/message

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samantha-damm/support