I asked a colleague who leads a lot of support groups to review our Caregiver Help DVD program. I was a little surprised when she said, “It’s all about the caregiver!”
I said, “That’s right. We developed the program to help people understand and cope with the emotional stress of caregiving.”
Vicki is a strong advocate for person-centered care. She strongly believes that if we are aware of our care receivers’ interests and values prior to their diagnosis and strive to stay connected with who they are at their core, that the experience will be better for both the caregiver and the care receiver.
I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation, and I’ve struggled with my feelings about it. I can totally agree with Vicki on the value of person-centered care and the importance of honoring our care receiver as I care for my husband now, because Alex is honorable man. He is good all the way to his bone marrow.
If you are caring for someone who has earned your love and respect I believe, like me, it will be easy for you to honor that individual. If you are like my friend Tim who is caring for his father who has been an angry, abusive, mean-spirited old goat from day one, I hope you will honor yourself for finding the emotional strength to care for someone who isn’t lovable.
If you have not subscribed to our website, I would like to invite you to click on the tab “Join Now Free for 7 Days”. You won’t be asked for a credit card, just your name and email address. You can view all of the modules, print out the journal/worksheets and listen to the audio version of my book, “Letters from Madelyn, Chronicles of a Caregiver”. Check it out, and then let me know what you think. I love to hear your opinions.
