Before my friend Sue Paul, The Dementia Queen, mentioned the Caregiver Strain Index to me, I hadn’t used the word “strain” when discussing the Alzheimer’s caregiver.
“Stress” never really seemed to capture all the elements. Then while researching caregiver strain, I learned that strain is a combination of stress and burdens, and this made better sense to me.
Caregivers don’t need anyone to tell them they are strained, stressed, and burdened – it’s part of their existence. They do need to understand the root cause of their strain so that they can do something to reduce the strain and avoid fracturing their well-being.
To help explain this, I wrote Caregiver Strain Index – Where Do You Rate?, which was published by The Dementia Queen.
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Do you feel strained, stressed, or burdened? What do you think about having a way to assess the cause of your strain? Please share in the comments below.
Hi, Mike, my Mum died with mixed dementia last October. Since then I have moved to the Lancaster area and I am keen to help support a couple who are going through the care of one of them with dementia, or indeed befriend someone. I am a retired GP and my experience with my Mum has given me lots of awareness and skills to share. Do you know of any organisation that I can approach to offer myself and my time, please? FG
Hi Fiona, I’m sorry to hear about Mum. I’m not sure if you are referring to Lancaster in England, or Lancaster in the U.S. If you are in the U.S. then you can start by using the Eldercare.gov link on this resource page: http://togetherinthis.com/caregiver/support/community-support/ Call your local local agency on aging and see if they can offer any guidance. You can also visit local senior centers and talk to one of the administrators because they may have suggestions. Be sure to check out the bulletin boards, and start attending meetings.This is how I got involved in my community.If you are in England, you probably have similar resources.