Weekly Newsletter:

January 22, 2025

The Case for Caregiver Support Groups

It's always advisable to start out with an agreed-upon definition of the subject matter we are considering. All the more so when it comes to a subject as loaded as "caregiver." Unless one is directly involved in the dynamics of caregiving for a dependent loved one in mental or physical decline, it can have an abstract appeal. Personal experience brings it home—literally and figuratively.

Most of us "know" someone in that category. Consider the fact that today, caregivers represent over one in five Americans. It can be considered an epidemic as, statistically, numbers are steadily on the rise.

Who or what can assist caregivers in the solitary, isolating, and monumental task of caring for a loved one in mental/physical decline? The government is slow to augment burdens, financially and care-wise. Facility placement becomes more costly, with less insurance aid to offset expenses. Long-term care insurance, once a reasonably affordable answer for augmenting mounting costs in assisted living facilities, has risen sharply over the last few years, seemingly as application numbers have increased. Hospice cannot provide services for bed-bound dementia patients with a diagnosis of dementia unless death is imminent.

Statistics and theories abound. The two alternatives at the moment for on-going care for loved ones in decline are in-home care or placement in an assisted living community.

Well meaning family and friends' sympathy and support can help, especially if they can pitch in and provide help from time to time. Yet to experience it firsthand, day in and day out, is quite another matter. After all, experience trumps opinions, theories, and statistics... every time.

Therefore, it might be useful to review the most prominent aspects that challenge the caregiver caring for a dependent loved one at home:

Financial strain, necessitating many caregivers to give up their jobs in order to provide 24/7 care
Lack of sleep and adequate rest
Isolation
Lack of privacy
Emotional strain and stress
Caregiver burden as relates to depression, anxiety, resentment, and grief (localized and general)
Neglect of proper self-care
Impact on caregiver health
Burnout
Physical strain
Loneliness
Etcetera

Caregivers will tell you that all, or most, of the above is true, some times more than others. However, what stands out above all else is the awareness that they are, essentially, alone. It is, by its very nature, a solitary journey. No one can possibly "get" the full impact of the 24-7 responsibilities unless they have, indeed, walked in their shoes.

THIS IS WHERE THE VALUE OF JOINING A GOOD SUPPORT GROUP COMES IN:

We heal through connectedness
We realize that others struggle, too.
Talking helps us process.
We break the stigma.
We develop self-acceptance.
We find support while building a close supportive community.
We realize we are not alone.
Our journeys may become a survival guide for others.
We don't bottle up things inside.
Connectivity empowers us.
Our basic needs for acceptance, to be understood, and to belong are met.
We connect with our authentic selves.
Significant strides in personal growth develop as caregivers experience their own self-reliance and empowerment.
Acceptance, collectively and personally, becomes easier to attain.

DayBreak proudly offers caregiver support groups that continue to create and foster a warm and inclusive community for caregivers caring for loved ones in cognitive/physical decline.

We meet three times a week for an hour on Zoom.