Weekly Newsletter:

August 26, 2026

As a caregiver, you may have people in your life who are also caregivers. They could be friends, family, or even acquaintances you know from support groups or caregiver events. You may find yourself in conversation with them about caregiving experiences, stressors, or duties. Having people in your life who can understand the complexities of the caregiver experience can be immensely helpful in feeling understood and supported, especially through challenging times. You may also find yourself in the support network of these people in your life; they may come to you with challenges, a need to vent, or some caregiving wins in their life. Balancing your role in their support network and their role in yours is essential to a healthy, supportive dynamic.

What do we mean by balance? As you know, caregiving can come with many stressors. Sometimes, you may not have the space or capacity to offer support to other caregivers. It can be hard to set boundaries on discussing caregiving responsibilities, especially when you understand how difficult caregiving is and want to be supportive and helpful to your fellow caregivers. So what can you do when communicating with other caregivers to ensure you both have the space and capacity to be of support to each other?

1. Before discussing caregiving experiences, ask each other if you have the emotional capacity to discuss things at the moment. If so, great! If not, no worries. Maybe plan to check in with each other at another time.
2. Offer ways to support that are unrelated to caregiving. Maybe offer to run an errand for each other or have a self-care night together.
3. Create dedicated time to share experiences and offer support and advice. Whether this be a phone call, on a walk, or as part of a broader support group, dedicated time helps people plan the emotional capacity to offer and receive support.

These are just a few ideas to create a dynamic with other caregivers in your life that expands the support you can provide to each other without that support becoming an additional stressor to your already busy life. Maintaining healthy ways to provide support and communicate about emotionally difficult topics helps keep these relationships stable and supportive over time.

Having a support network that includes caregivers that understand your life experiences is invaluable. When you have the capacity to offer support directly related to caregiving, you may find yourself wondering how you can help. The best thing to do is just ask! Ask your fellow caregiver if there’s anything you can do to support them. If they are unsure, here are a few ideas you can offer and even ask for yourself if they offer you support:



1. Offer a respite day/night where you provide care to their care receiver so they can catch up on work, errands, or self-care.
2. Offer to attend medical appointments with them for their care receiver. An additional person who understands your situation at appointments can help ask the right questions, take notes, or be there to offer emotional support.
3. Share resources you might come across related to caregiving such as respite support, transportation assistance, support groups, or anything else you think they might find beneficial.

Balancing support without overwhelming your capacity to provide that support is essential to maintaining supportive, healthy dynamics with your fellow caregivers. Have a conversation with the caregivers in your life about what support looks like for you both. Maybe even share this article with them!

— Jayde Hart, B.A.

Memory Care Cafe Program Coordinator at DayBreak

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