Charmane H. is from Illinois, and was one of forty finalists chosen out of the over 1,000 entries to our “What Advice Would You Give to a Fellow Caregiver?” Contest. You can find our grand prize and runner up winners here.
What advice would you give a fellow caregiver?
My advice to caregivers would be to create your own resource guide. There are people / companies / facilities who can and will assist you with items such as transportation, medical equipment, finances, etc. I would encourage the caregiver to get support from other caregivers. I’ve found that speaking with others in the same or similar situations makes you realize (a) you’re not alone and (b) no one becomes as expert overnight. I would tell the caregiver to set reasonable goals for yourself as well as the patient you care for. Allow your patient to be as active in their care plan as possible. I would suggest the care manager follow the rules of the airlines: take care of yourself first. You can’t help your patient if you are not mentally and physically healthy. Your emotional health is extremely important when you’re a caregiver, so try to avoid “burnout.”
And the most important advice I would give a caregiver is: Treat your patient as if they were your beloved mother, grandmother, husband, wife, sibling or child and show them as much compassion as you would want afforded to your loved one. Keep in mind, one day you may be the patient.
Click here to head to the contest home page and read more advice.
Finalists were selected by the Marketing Team at Shield HealthCare. Those finalists were submitted to a panel of independent judges who picked three grand prize winners and five runners up. The judges included: Sandra Mitchell, Award-winning KCAL 9 news anchor and breast cancer survivor, and the Landers family: actor and comedian David Landers (“Laverne & Shirley”) who is living with MS, his wife Kathy and his daughter Natalie (“The Middle”). Click here to learn more.
