This headline is definitely a heart-stopper and a brain twister. How can that possibly be?

“Caregiver Syndrome“ is an increasingly popular way to describe the results of caring for an ill or dying loved one in terms of the impact on the caregiver’s physical health, mental health, and emotional well-being.

This term appreciates the relentless fatigue, shock of diagnosis, change in roles from partner to nurse, guilt, resentment, depression and outright grieving as you watch your loved ones failing and in pain.

A societal shift is necessary to prevent this 70 percent from including more caring family members. How can we slow down and even stop caregiver syndrome?

The first big step: If we, as a nation of smart individuals, can transform how we see the time in life when we can get to care for our aging loved ones – not as a disappointing burden or as a dreaded future accompanied by denial – but rather, if we could come to expect that and accept the fact that, along with our increasing longevity, many of us will be also be required to become caregivers and many of us will need to be the one cared for.

And, the second step: knowing that this stage of life is predictably in our futures, we can go through it intelligently, and with proper planning and support which can definitely result in much healing, tenderness, completion and even joy.

What types of support are needed to minimize the impact of caregiver syndrome? There are many and various, including governmental, financial, familial and educational. You might find other interesting articles online, podcasts to listen to and many have gotten much benefit from my book, Parenting Our Parents: Transforming the Challenge into a Journey of Love.

The article below offers much important information and is worth reading to the end.
https://eldercarematters.com/2019/12/18/elder-care-caregivers-article/