Did you ever become so frustrated caring for another person you just about gave up? This theme has come up recently in several very difficult cases involving family members who are mentally unable to care for themselves. In these cases the individual who requires care cannot comprehend everything involved in providing their care or even the reasons care is needed. So many of these individuals tell everyone that they can “take care of themselves”, when in fact many of them cannot stand, walk or do activities without substantial assistance. Many cannot even comprehend the physical risk to self when they try to stand from a wheelchair or move about unsafely and become injured. Caring for a family member or friend with this type of disability can be frustrating and at times feel very hopeless. This is when it’s important to remove the emotional and personal feelings from the situation and try to examine what’s going on at 30,000 feet in order to gain a new perspective. Sometimes a new perspective allows us to stop feeling emotionally drained and to keep on caring. It’s also important as a responsible family member serving as power of attorney or guardian to realize that the individual cannot make decisions in their own best interest and that at times decisions must be made for them that they may not agree with; however that are in their own best interest.
Listen to Podcasts of The Caring Generation Radio Program
