CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 888-393-7754

Email:   Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com

Golden, Colorado – May 15, 2019

Caregivers Are Stressed – 5 Questions to Ask to Make Caregiving Feel Like Less of a Struggle

Caregivers are stressed. The daily struggle to manage the day to day tasks while unexpected situations keep popping up is part of the daily life of a caregiver.  Caregivers want to know how to manage caregiving and the constant worry about what might happen today, tomorrow, next week, and next month.

Caregiving Stress Makes Decision Making More Difficult

The stress of caregiving makes decision making more challenging for caregivers. Some days caregiving frustration is so high that caregivers want to walk away from the responsibility of having an aging parent or spouse who is dependent for care. At this point, it is difficult to see any perspective that offers hope or solutions.

Caregiving expert, Pamela D. Wilson understands. She was a caregiver for both parents who died more than 20 years ago. For the past 20 years, caregivers and aging adults have come to Pamela because they've tried to manage caregiving situations or navigate the healthcare system and making progress felt impossible.

Caregiving Poses More Problems Than Solutions

There are more problems than solutions. The health of aging parents continues to decline. Doctors and the healthcare system are not helpful. Caregivers want to help aging parents stay at home but everything that's been tried isn't working out as expected.

The problem is that there are so many things that can and do go wrong in caregiving. As a caregiver, it's impossible to know everything. Afterall – caregiving isn't a job that caregivers were trained to do and even more likely isn't a job that the caregiver was prepared to do.

Closing the Gap Between the Present and The Ideal Caregiving Situation

Caregivers are stressed because there is a gap between the current situation and the perfect world situation. While it may not always be possible to get to the ideal situation – it is possible to close the gap. To get started, caregivers should ask themselves the following questions.

5 Questions to Ask to Make Caregiving Feel Like Less of a Struggle

1 What is your caregiving situation like today and what does the situation look like in a "perfect world?" Imagine how less stressed you would feel if the situation was closer to perfect? You'd have your life back. Time for yourself. Time to spend with your family and friends. The health and well-being of aging parents or a spouse would be stable without all of the unexpected twists and turns.

2 How much longer are you willing to be in a gap situation before you are willing to take action?

Both caregivers and aging adults experience significant stress and worse emotional and physical health as a result of caregiving. Research proves this to be a fact.

No one wants to admit that help is needed or to appear as if you can't manage it all – most of all caregivers. 

Is sacrificing your health and well-being more important to you than taking a step forward to get help? If you are the caregiver do you want to create a situation where you are the next person who needs care?

3 Are you stuck in a comfortable place that makes any change look like too much effort or too much risk?

Are you really more willing to take the chance of something negative happening to you or a loved one instead of moving toward a situation that is more positive? Do you want to feel guilty about what happens because you didn't make the best decision?

Caregiving stress and feeling overwhelmed makes it difficult to make good decisions. Many caregiving situations turn bad because the caregiver and the aging adult waited too long to act.

4 With what you're currently doing how long will it take for you to close the gap – and do you even know how to close the gap?

It takes more than love to stay at home and manage care and caregiving relationships. It takes knowing the right things to watch for that result in aging adults having to leave their homes. If you want a better caregiving situation that is stable without all of the ups and downs of unexpected situations it's time to take the next step to become more informed.

5 The last question is . . .  how do you close the gap?

Pamela's online course and webinar support program called "Stay at Home" helps caregivers assess situations to identify the gap between the present and the ideal situation. A step-by-step process helps caregivers and aging adults close the gap and find solutions to problems that caregivers don't even know exist.

Watching Loved Ones Decline is Emotionally Traumatic

Pamela knows the fear of watching a loved one's health decline and feeling like nothing can be done to improve the situation. This was Pamela's experience with her mother over 20 years ago -- so many health issues and no clear direction.

"We made so many mistakes because we didn't know what to do or what questions to ask. We were naive caregivers," stated Pamela. Today, because of more than 20 years as a professional caregiving advocate, Pamela knows that there are many actions that caregivers and aging adults can take to improve caregiving situations. 

A sense of helplessness can exist in trying to work with doctors who see aging adults as old. Doctors have said to Pamela, "Honey – your client is old. He or she has lived a good life. Do you really want treatment? Would it not be easier to let he or she pass on?"  

Aging Adults Deserve Care and Dignity from the Healthcare System

Aging adults deserve care and dignity. Care and dignity can be difficult to achieve in a system that views aging adults as old and disposable.

Getting the care aging adults deserve is possible – but that getting this care takes strong and persistent advocacy. Caregivers should never give up. The Stay at Home course offers solutions and a plan to help caregivers to gain the confidence to become a strong advocate.

Caregiving Should Be  50-50 Participation

And most important – caregiving when possible must be 50-50 – with participation from both the aging adult and the caregiver. Caregiving is a family matter.

Learning to work together instead of against each other as everyone feels a sense of loss and control can be challenging. Family caregiving relationships – with all of the different opinions and beliefs – can be positive when the care of aging parents or loved ones is the focus instead of individual agendas or interests.

Make Caregiving Less Stressful

The Stay at Home Course makes caregiving less stressful, helps regain stability and balance, and helps caregivers make sure loved ones receive the best care possible. A special introductory offer for the course is available for all caregivers and aging adults. 

This unique online course offers live webinars so that caregivers and aging adults can work directly with Pamela to identify solutions for care situations. Pamela's website also has an extensive caregiving library of helpful information and tips for everyone involved in caregiving and information about the online Stay at Home Course.