At a Parkinson’s caregiver-only support group meeting last Friday, Susan Weisberg, the social worker/facilitator, shared this “Self-Care Assessment Worksheet.”
Caregivers don’t tend to practice self-care as they feel reluctant about making themselves a priority. As many caregivers share at support group meetings, practicing self-care means you are in fact ensuring that you are able to provide better care for your loved one.
I like the broad definition of self-care that comes across in this worksheet. For example, “making time for reflection” can be an aspect of self-care for many. Feel free to add other examples of self-care that are meaningful to you.
When you’ve completed the worksheet, consider if there are any patterns. Recognize that there may be some areas you are especially active in while there may be other areas you yourself feel you could try. The worksheet instructions suggests choosing “one item from each area that you will actively work to improve.”
The worksheet is from “Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization,” by Saakvitne, Pearlman & Staff of TSI/ACC, published in 1996. You can find it online at many websites, including here:
See: www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/rehb/
Robin