Dementia Caregiver Support In Action: How To Be Resilient And Stress Less
How do you navigate the emotional and physical challenges of caregiving when life throws you unexpected storms?
In this episode, we hear from Cheryl, a caregiver facing not only the demands of caring for her mother but also the aftermath of a hurricane that disrupted her life.
Through a live coaching session, we explore practical tips and faith-based encouragement for managing stress, anxiety, and overwhelming circumstances.
The Weight of Dual Challenges: Caregiving and Life’s Disruptions
Cheryl’s journey highlights the compounded stress caregivers face when personal life crises intersect with caregiving responsibilities.
From battling insurance claims after the hurricane to dealing with caregiver burnout, Cheryl’s vulnerability offers a relatable insight into how external factors can magnify caregiving stress.
Her story reminds us that caregiving doesn’t happen in a vacuum—life’s challenges continue, often intensifying the emotional toll on caregivers.
Strategies for Managing Anxiety and Stress
The session provides actionable steps to help caregivers like Cheryl manage anxiety and regain focus:
1) Use Homeopathic Remedies and Supplements
Cheryl discusses trying homeopathic patches and supplements like L-theanine to manage anxiety. These can offer temporary relief for those feeling overwhelmed by both caregiving and external pressures.
2) Break Tasks into Manageable Steps
When faced with overwhelming to-do lists, breaking them into smaller, actionable tasks can make progress feel achievable. Cheryl’s focus on completing one piece of her insurance list at a time is a prime example of this approach.
3) Seek Counseling for Major Life Events
The discussion encourages caregivers to seek professional counseling for processing major life events, such as natural disasters or trauma. Addressing these issues separately from caregiving can provide clarity and emotional relief.
The Importance of Respite and Support
Cheryl also emphasizes the value of respite care, even briefly, to focus on non-caregiving tasks.
By hiring trusted caregivers or reaching out to family for support, she gains moments to regroup and manage other aspects of her life. Her story underscores that asking for help is not a weakness but a necessity for sustainability.
Grounding Yourself in Faith
Amidst the chaos, Cheryl’s reliance on faith shines through.
From praying for guidance to trusting in God’s plan, her journey is a reminder that leaning into faith can provide strength and perspective during life’s storms.
As caregivers, recognizing that not all challenges are within our control allows us to focus on what we can change while trusting God with the rest.
Read More: Episode 199: How to Decrease Caregiver Stress Through Coaching
TRANSCRIPT
Dementia Coaching in Action: Navigating Caregiver Stress
Introduction
[0:00] Host:
Hey, Christian caregiver. Welcome to a Dementia Coaching in Action Friday episode.
We are going to talk with one of the community members about how to navigate caregiver stress, as well as how to have resiliency for all of the kinds of activities and actions that we have as a caregiver.
So, welcome to today’s episode of Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians.
You’ll be listening to one of my community members. We talk both about dementia caregiving and how to navigate a caregiving journey when you yourself have been extremely impacted by something in your world that you have no control over.
Cheryl lives in Florida and was very significantly impacted by the hurricanes that came through earlier this year.
[1:04] Host:
If you haven’t heard about my personal reflections on experiencing Hurricane Helene, you can go back and listen to Episode 183: Reflections on Hurricane Helene and Its Impact When Dementia Caregiving.
So, listen to our episode with Cheryl, who is really working on managing her stress, both as a caregiver and while trying to navigate life.
If you have not yet signed up for one of our monthly free workshops, the next workshop is this coming Saturday, November 23rd at 12 Eastern. The link is in the show notes, and I invite you to join me for one of these free workshops and come hang out with me for a couple of hours.
Even if you can’t come, sign up for the workshop because you’ll get the replay. Then you can listen to it kind of like a podcast later on.
But without further ado, let us go into a Dementia Coaching in Action episode, where we are really talking to you so you can see live coaching in action.
Navigating Caregiver Stress
[2:26] Cheryl:
Because I told them, just because Mom’s on hospice doesn’t mean you manifest her dying.
Host:
No, not at all. Not at all.
Cheryl:
Because she’s stable otherwise.
Oh, yeah. I mean, when I brought her there, I actually brought her into the activities room, and we were talking to the lady. My mom talked to her briefly, and she said, “Oh, we’re going to have a good time, Suzanne.”
My mom just smiled, and she did do a few activities with the woman. She was phenomenal.
But, of course, she couldn’t do a whole bunch more because they weren’t hydrating her, so her cognition was dropping rapidly.
Host:
But did you at least have a good time on your trip?
Cheryl:
I did. It really wasn’t the best because we lost.
Host:
Oh, okay.
[3:09] Cheryl:
It was a bad loss.
Host:
I’m so sorry. I don’t watch sports, so you’ll have to forgive me.
Cheryl:
But no, it was fabulous. The property we were staying on was fabulous. It was so great.
We had four houses between the 20 of us to sleep in. It was nice. It was very, very nice.
Host:
Well, I’m glad you had a good trip.
Cheryl:
Yeah. And I’m getting better now that Mom’s doing better.
Family Dynamics and Strain
[3:36] Cheryl:
But emotionally, I was very, very depressed these last few days.
The relationship between my family—meaning my husband and my daughter—was very strained.
My husband is really having a difficult time. He says, “There’s nothing to be happy about.”
I go, “I know. I understand.”
Host:
And is that all related to the storm still?
Cheryl:
Yes. Yes, yes. Yes, it is.
Host:
Are you guys getting a little bit more on an even keel, or nowhere near?
[4:06] Cheryl:
No. The last few days have been really rough, but he did reach out to me last night, so it was a little bit better.
I know that he’s very stressed, and so am I, because we have our list that we have to have together in the next seven days for the insurance company, and I’m nowhere near finished.
That’s one of the stressors for both of us because we want to be able to get the maximum out of the insurance company.
Host:
Absolutely.
Cheryl:
And I’m not done. I still have stuff at the house. I have to photograph and document it.
It’s just overwhelming right now, and every day all I want to do is cry.
My husband’s like, “I can’t even do that.”
Host:
I know. You’re not able to express right now, which is not good, but that’s where you’re at.
Can you get some respite care—people in the house over the weekend—so that you can go back home and take care of all of the stuff so that you can move?
Cheryl:
Yeah, I can, but I’m not going to do that this weekend because I need to get my regular list together.
My daughter said she’d try and help me via Gainesville, but I’m just going to do my best.
Eventually, I will get some additional respite time and time away because I received a lovely check from her long-term care insurance while I was away.
Financial Pressures and Caregiver Support
[5:28] Host:
I’m relieved for you related to that.
[5:36] Cheryl:
Yeah, I’ve been fighting with them since May.
Host:
Well, happy holidays.
Cheryl:
Yes. I’m halfway there.
I now have to file with this other company and also do the filing for her respite care that I paid—you know, all that.
I mean, that’s all on the plate, but that’s okay.
In time, I will get it all done now that it’s been approved and I know that I’m going to get paid.
Host:
Well, that’s a silver lining. That’s a big deal, though.
Cheryl:
Yes, it’s huge because I do need to have caregivers with my mom.
The one caregiver who was with her—and is with her on Thursdays while I go to work—informed me that, at this time, she really thinks she’s going to leave the company.
So I said, “You need to let me know ASAP, as soon as you are going to, and what you’re going to charge, because I will hire you.”
[6:21] Cheryl:
Because she’s very good with my mom.
And so that’s it. That’s really all I have to share.
Emotional Impact of Trauma
[6:26] Cheryl:
I’m just still anxious and emotional right now, just trying to get through that.
Host:
Do you think the anxiety and the emotion are more related to the storm and what you went through related to the storm, or related to Mom?
Cheryl:
Well, I’ll be honest. I think a little piece of it is with Mom, and a lot of it is with the storm.
I have to admit, I really—I’m not a doctor, I don’t diagnose—but I believe I have post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Host:
It would not surprise me.
Cheryl:
Every single day I’m crying, and I’m really having a hard time focusing. That’s why the list has been really hard.
Host:
Sure.
Cheryl:
I’ve been trying to focus and do it, but I am going to try some alternate things starting today because I have to have it done in seven days.
I have some homeopathic patches that I’m going to try to see if they’ll help me focus. One of them, believe it or not, is called “Focus.”
[7:28] Host:
Yep, I’m actually aware of some of those.
And then something else you can consider—I’m not a doctor or a homeopath—but L-theanine is an amino acid. You can buy it in the store, and it may help with anxiety.
When I was really, really, really struggling at one time related to just being overworked and having too many things going on, I took L-theanine.
Cheryl:
Do you know how to spell that?
Host:
I will drop it in the chat for you.
Cheryl:
Okay.
[8:03] Host:
That’s close enough. L-theanine.
Cheryl:
Okay.
Host:
It’s an amino acid.
We had a really good little homeopathic store in Greenwood, and that was what she had me start taking.
When I get anxious, I can take that.
Cheryl:
Okay.
Host:
Within about half an hour, I can tell my anxiety level goes down.
At the beginning, I had to take a lot more.
Cheryl:
Yes.
Host:
Then, as that kind of was replenished in my body, I didn’t need to take it as much.
But you can certainly, if you have a homeopathic store close by, maybe stop by and talk to somebody who works with these kinds of things a little more.
Seeking Professional Help
[8:48] Host:
I had good success with that.
Cheryl:
Okay.
Host:
Will you give that a shot?
And then something else to consider is seeing if you can maybe just do one or two counseling sessions.
Cheryl:
Okay.
Host:
True counseling to work through the storm.
Cheryl:
Okay.
Host:
Because I honestly believe a lot of what you’re experiencing right now is not because of the caregiving.
Cheryl:
Right.
Host:
It’s because of the storm and everything that you guys have been through related to the loss of your house, your property, and your belongings.
