Caregivers

Becoming a family caregiver for someone you love is one of those heart wrenching and at times enlightening life lessons. Your role as a family caregiver can happen abruptly or creep in slowly-unnoticed until one day you realize you are caring more for someone else than you are for yourself.

You find yourself beginning to struggle with the day to day demands and somewhere along the way you realize you have lost your identity and have allowed the care giving role to define who you are. Your new role as a family caregiver can become as frightening as the initial diagnosis. The journey can be a difficult when traveled alone; however, it does not have to be that hard and you do not and should not have to travel the road alone.

Resources:

• Find a Support Group
• Traumatic Brain Injury, A Guide for the Patient and Family: http://www.interactivetherapy.com/company.html
• Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide by Dr. Glen Johnson, clinical Neuropsychologist, http://www.tbiguide.com/
• Aging and Disability Services Administration http://www.aasa.dshs.wa.gov/caregiving/
• National Foundation Caregivers Association http://www.nfcacares.org/about_nfca/