Self-care is essential to ensuring the quality of care. Here are some suggestions that you can adapt to your own context and the situation you are experiencing..
Informing yourself
Seek information about dementia and how it manifests. Understanding the symptoms helps you cope better with day-to-day situations and provide more appropriate support.
Living one day at a time
Plan for the future but avoid anticipating excessively what may happen. Dealing with situations as they arise reduces emotional burden.
Recognising and accepting your feelings
It is normal to feel frustration, guilt, or sadness. Learning to recognise and accept these feelings helps you cope better with the caregiver role.
Setting aside time to rest
Caring also means caring for yourself. Moments of rest are not selfishness, they are essential to maintaining balance and the ability to care.
Looking after your health
Keep up regular medical follow-up, manage chronic conditions and try to maintain a balanced diet. Your well-being is fundamental.
Maintaining your social relationships
Contact with family and friends is protective and helps to preserve identity and your well-being. Whenever possible, keep up moments of sharing, in person or at a distance.
Using humour in a positive way
When possible, approach situations with lightness. Laughing at the situation, never at the person being cared for, can help reduce tension and maintain a more positive attitude.
Seeking support in the community
Find out about the available resources, such as health centres, home support services, day care centres and social services, which can be a fundamental help.
Being realistic
Recognise your limits as a caregiver and adjust your expectations to the progression of the disease. It is not possible to do everything on your own.
Asking for and accepting help
Some caregivers view caring for a family member as a personal responsibility; however, sharing tasks is essential. Asking for help in good time can prevent situations of exhaustion.
Valuing your effort
Recognize your work and dedication. The caregiver role is demanding and deserves to be valued.
Expressing your emotions
Talking, crying or sharing feelings can bring emotional relief and help to ease accumulated tension.
Learning to say “no”
Prioritise what is essential and do not hesitate to refuse requests that exceed your capacity or that are not urgent.
When these strategies are no longer sufficient, it is important to be alert to the signs of caregiver burden. These may manifest through physical signs, such as persistent tiredness, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, muscle pain, palpitations or neglect of personal appearance; psychological or emotional signs, such as sadness, feelings of guilt, lowered self-esteem, mood changes, anxiety, irritability, difficulty concentrating or memory lapses; and social signs, such as withdrawal from family and friends, loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities and feelings of loneliness or isolation.
Recent studies highlight that, despite the difficulties, the act of caring can also be a source of personal satisfaction, through the possibility of preserving the dignity of the person being cared for, seeing them well cared for and happy, being aware of doing one's best, or seeing care as an opportunity to strengthen emotional bonds. For some caregivers, providing care also represents a way of keeping the person at home, avoiding institutionalisation or fostering the development of new skills, growth and personal enrichment.