This is a good article in today’s Next Avenue (nextavenue.org) about the risks of becoming isolated as a caregiver:
Three caregivers’ stories, and advice on possible solutions
By George Lorenzo
November 21, 2019
Next Avenue
www.nextavenue.org/caregiver-avoid-isolation/
Copied below is an excerpt from the section on avoiding self-inflicted isolation.
Robin
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Excerpt from:
Three caregivers’ stories, and advice on possible solutions
By George Lorenzo
November 21, 2019
Next Avenue
Avoiding Self-Inflicted Isolation
Yet, despite all the services and support groups available, it is not uncommon for caregivers to avoid them and self-isolate. “Some of it [isolation and loneliness] might be self-imposed, because you do not want to impose on other people. I feel a huge responsibility for my mom and I don’t always trust people to take over for me,” Bagley says.
“The isolation is not like a desert island, but you can isolate yourself,” Danielson explains. “I have talked to people when I go to the day care center. Some of them are really distraught. Some of them don’t know what to do. It’s a difficult life, but I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me. In many ways, it is a privilege to be able to take care of someone you love.”
Enter Peter Rosenberger, the passionate, highly empathetic and straight-shooting radio show host of Hope for the Caregiver, broadcast twice weekly nationwide on American Family Radio and Family Talk on Sirius XM-131.
Caregivers can call in to talk about their experiences and get advice from Rosenberger, who has been the primary caregiver for his wife, Gracie, for more than 30 years. Rosenberger is also author of a book of the same name as his radio show, and, most recently, a second book titled 7 Caregiver Landmines and How You Can Avoid Them.
For landmine No. 2, solitude, he offers several steps caregivers can take immediately: “Serving as a caregiver is simply too difficult to do alone,” he explains.
In addition to getting counseling from a mental health expert and participating in a support group, Rosenberger suggests that caregivers call three people they can trust and talk with them without going into a deep conversation. “Just ‘sip’ the friendship slowly,” he says.