Providing care and support for a loved one can be both a rewarding and challenging role. Understanding how to care for oneself while supporting someone else takes intentional reflection, exploration, planning and problem-solving to ensure a good life for everyone.
Each one of us have various roles and responsibilities that impact our day-to-day life and overall well-being. At times these roles may feel comfortable, and at other times the responsibilities may feel overwhelming or challenging. Taking time to understand what you want and need for your own-well-being and good life is critical to maintaining your physical, mental, and emotional wellness, but can become secondary to the planning, problem-solving, and supporting you are doing with or on behalf of your loved one.
There are other reasons it may feel difficult to care for yourself while you are caring for others. Caregivers have described some common experiences that prevented them from focusing on their own well-being, such as:
The information and tools provided here are designed to help you in determining how to address those experiences – and others that may be unique to you and your caregiving journey. They facilitate a focus on your own well-being and needs, while continuing to recognize the interconnection and impact of the role you play (and responsibilities you have) in the lives of others. The tools provide guidance and prompting to help you reflect on what is most important to and for you, so that you can:
The LifeCourse Nexus Training and TA Center is pleased to partner with Elevance Health to co-develop and disseminate best practices for supporting (family/informal/unpaid) caregivers. The development partnership resulted in a Caring For Yourself While Caring for Others toolkit to support people who are providing formal or informal care for a loved one to plan for their own well-being, while continuing to acknowledge the role they play in the lives of others. To learn more, click here.
There are other reasons it may feel difficult to care for yourself while you are caring for others. Caregivers have described some common experiences that prevented them from focusing on their own well-being, such as:
The information and tools provided here are designed to help you in determining how to address those experiences – and others that may be unique to you and your caregiving journey. They facilitate a focus on your own well-being and needs, while continuing to recognize the interconnection and impact of the role you play (and responsibilities you have) in the lives of others. The tools provide guidance and prompting to help you reflect on what is most important to and for you, so that you can:
The LifeCourse Nexus Training and TA Center is pleased to partner with Elevance Health to co-develop and disseminate best practices for supporting (family/informal/unpaid) caregivers. The development partnership resulted in a Caring For Yourself While Caring for Others toolkit, including resources to support people who are providing formal or informal care for a loved one to plan for their own well-being, while continuing to acknowledge the role they play in the lives of others. To learn more, click here.
The Caregiver Toolkit is intended to help you as a caregiver to care for yourself while caring for a loved one. But thinking or talking about one’s life or the future is very personal and can be overwhelming.
It can be a reminder of how much roles have changed, of unrealized dreams and goals, or the uncertainty and fears about the future. If considering your current life circumstances or thinking about the future is difficult, remember to take care of yourself as you go.
Here are a few ideas to help you deal with stress or other emotions that may come up:
The tools in this section are designed to help caregivers and those providing support to a loved one to think about your own well-being, and how to best care for yourself while you are caring for others.
These tools are intended to be used by and focus on the person providing care and support. In completing these tools, you may find it helpful to do deeper exploration, planning and problem-solving specific to your loved one. Tools for planning with and for the person you support can be found here.
Take breaks, as often and for
as long as you need.
Choose a space that is
comfortable for you.
Treat yourself the way you would treat
a good friend
Practice breathing or
mindfulness exercises.
Seek support from a trusted friend
to be a sounding board.
Reflect upon and gather ideas of what matters most related to your experience in supporting or caring for a loved one. Think about both what your life and caregiving role looks like now – and what you want it to look like in the future – as you capture important information to inform planning and problem-solving.
Explore and plan for your life and well-being, especially as you are caring for others. Consider what you want and need – both now and in the future – both for your overall good life, and in your role of supporting your loved ones. Make decisions and organize next steps for what will help you on the path towards that vision.
Map the resources you have to support you in all of your myriad roles (including, but not limited to, supporting and caring for others), and brainstorm potential resources that can be leveraged to ensure the person you are caring for has the support they need so that you are able to focus on your personal well-being.
Brainstorm how you most want and need to be supported so you can best care for your loved one and maintain your good life. Think about what you need – what would be most helpful to you – and identify various ways of ensuring you are cared about and cared for both now and in the future.
Consider the individual and unique ways in which those we support want to be cared about and cared for, as well as to identify ways in which those needs can be met that make sense for the person and for the one(s) caring for them. Identify ways to create a balance for you as a caregiver – making sure you are able to care for yourself while continuing to provide support for your loved one.
Brainstorm and dialogue with the person you are supporting about a shared vision for each area of your life, and what is most important to consider or do to make sure you both have what you want and need in each life domain.
The Charting the LifeCourse Caregiver Well Being Portfolio is designed as a booklet printed on 11×17 paper. It includes the One-Page Description, CtLC Trajectory tool on the inside and the Integrated Supports Star on the back.
The tip sheets in this section are designed to serve as a guide to help you use the tools above to explore, plan, problem-solve and make decisions about how to best care for yourself while you care for others.
Completing any of the CtLC tools just for the sake of completing them should never be the goal. The tools are designed to help you reflect and organize your thoughts and ideas in ways that help you and your loved one plan, problem-solve, make decisions, and find supports to help both of you be physically, mentally, and emotionally well. They are meant to guide conversations between you and your loved one, other family members, or with professionals.
The tools can be completed over time, taking time to reflect and return to the process as often as needed. Even when complete, they should be revisited from time to time, especially as life or role changes happen.
This tip sheet can help guide your reflection of your experiences in providing care and support to others. Use the prompts and questions in each section to facilitate your exploration of what is important to and for you.
This tip sheet provides an overview of how and why to use the Life Trajectory –Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others tool. It gives suggestions on how to complete and use the trajectory, and includes specific guidance and prompts for each of the sections of the trajectory.
Use this tip sheet to discover how to use the Integrated Supports Star tool to explore different kinds of resources that will help support you and your loved one. Identify ways to ensure the needs of your loved one are met, and consider who – or what – can help you maintain your well-being.
This tip sheet explains how to use the Mapping Supports for the Caregiver tool to explore the supports you want and need as you continue to care for others. The importance of considering Caring About and Caring For is explained, and specific guidance and prompts are provided for each section of the tool.
Use this tip sheet to guide use of the Mapping Supports tool with your loved one to identify specific ways in which others can provide care and support. Step-by-step guidance for how to complete the tool, including what to consider related to Caring About and Caring for a person, is included.
