As a family caregiver you face many responsibilities and challenges
As life expectancies increase, medical treatments advance, and increasing numbers of people live with chronic illness and disabilities, more and more of us find ourselves caring for a loved one at home. Whether you’re taking care of an aging parent, a chronically ill spouse, or a child with a physical or mental illness, providing care for a loved one in need is an act of kindness, love, and loyalty. Day after day, you gift your loved one your care and attention, improving their quality of life, even if they’re unable to express their gratitude. Regardless of your particular circumstances, being a family caregiver is a challenging role and likely one that you haven’t been trained to undertake. And like many family caregivers you probably never anticipated these circumstances. Maybe you are feeling quite alone in this situation. But you are not alone.
Why I created this program
I created this program because I know that with the right help and support, you can provide loving, effective care without having to sacrifice yourself in the process. And that can make family caregiving a more rewarding experience—for both you and your loved one.
I know the experience of a caregiver first hand because I have been there myself. I was my husband’s caregiver for quite a while but particularly during the final ten months of his life. I became his caregiver gradually, taking on more and more responsibilities as he could do less and less because of his ongoing chemotherapy treatment and the rapid progression of his illness. The more I entered my role as caregiver the more acutely I was aware that I didn’t want our life to change, that I didn’t want to change roles from wife to caregiver, that I didn’t even want to be both. What I wanted was to keep my strong, capable, kind, loving, caring, funny, playful husband with whom I was meant to grow old together and without whom life was unimaginable. I did everything I could to make my husband’s life as comfortable as possible: I took on more responsibility for household chores and in general things my husband would have previously done, made sure that he took his medication on time, made sure that he got enough rest but also a little bit of exercise every day, accompanied him to all his treatments and consultations, researched alternative treatment options and felt that all the chores and appointments were getting in the way because I so desperately wanted as much time with my husband as possible as I knew time was getting short. I didn’t pay any attention at all to my own personal needs.
You might be finding yourself in a similar situation where the dynamic of your relationship has changed, you care so fundamentally for your loved one that You want to be there and care for their needs in the best possible way, and where it becomes really hard to balance the needs of your loved one, your needs as the caregiver, the needs of your relationship with one another and the needs of you as a person. It is important at that point that you begin to look after yourself and, even though this may seem impossible for you right now as all the focus is on your caregiving duties, it is not only possible but also crucial to do this. The more you take good care of yourself the better a caregiver you can be. Reaching out for support takes courage but, believe me, you will be glad you did.
What is covered in the 2-months program?
The focus of this 2-months program is to get you to a place where you feel more equipped to handle the physical, emotional, and mental stress of your situation. During the program you will find inner peace and calm and return to your own personal power centre so that you are able to support yourself and the person you are caring for. You will learn to interrupt your busy mind and come into stillness where deep healing is possible. And you will learn that taking out a little time for yourself is necessary for you as a caregiver.
The Reiki healing helps you to come into a deep inner stillness and calm where you for a change are the one to receive care and comfort. The Reiki healing also helps you to release whatever feelings you may be holding that get in the way of you being your best self such as frustration with your loved one or fear because of their condition.
The weekly support calls give you a chance to talk about the daily struggles you are facing as a caregiver and we will talk about possible solutions to these.
The essential oils, which I provide at the start of the program and which we use throughout our work together, help you to ground yourself, to be in the moment, and to not forget about yourself despite everything. This way you will be able to provide excellent care to your loved one while not forgetting about yourself and your own needs.
Feel free to book in a call to learn more about the program and how it can benefit you.