More than 50 million people across the United States live with the primary responsibility of caring for a loved one, such as a spouse. A parent. A child. A sibling. A close relative. A friend.
They are the family caregivers who offer their selfless support for everything from managing and administering medications to assisting with the most basic tasks of daily living.
November is National Family Caregivers Month in the U.S., which calls attention to family caregivers and the important role they play in the lives of those they care for.
In this episode of A Couple Takes on MS podcast, we celebrate National Family Caregivers Month and open up about the challenges and stresses we face while serving as each other’s primary caregiver.
Sure, we know how much the quality of our lives are improved by having a spouse who understands what it’s like to have MS, but being a caregiver for the other is tough and can be quite stressful. Yes, it is rewarding too, but we know how important preventing caregiver burnout is.
Here are the links to the articles and resources we discussed:
• iConquerMS Caregivers – The newly launched caregiver website developed by the Accelerated Cure Project and iConquerMS to provide information, support and community.
• National Family Caregiver Summit – Stream sessions from this first-ever two-day online event presented by caregiving.com. Be sure to check out the Male Caregiver session where Dan served as one of four panelis
• Caregiver Burnout – Cleveland Clinic webpage that delves into the causes and symptoms of caregiver burnout and ways to treat and prevent it.
• 14 Life-Changing Tips to Relieve Caregiving Stress – Article from caringbridge.org