Filling the Well
Caregivers rarely devote time in their schedule to attend to their own self-care needs. This session will explore the importance of self-care, focusing on 4 areas (spiritual, physical, mental, and social) with special emphasis on getting regular exercise and getting a sound sleep. Development of individual self-care plans is encouraged.
Resources
These links are being provided for informational purposes only. The websites are maintained by their respective owners, and the Optimal Aging Center bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of these external sites. Contact the external sites for answers to questions regarding their content.
Self-Care
Website: ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center
The website includes the National Respite Locator, a service to help caregivers and professionals locate respite services in their community.
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Article: Taking Care of YOU: Self-Care for Family Caregivers
From the Family Caregiver Alliance, this article is a comprehensive look at not only why self-care is vital for caregivers but it also offer 8 tools to help a caregiver incorporate self-care into their daily lives.
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Book: Self-care for caregivers- A 60-day Accountability Journal by Jennifer Sermabeikian
“We know that when we repeat actions for a prolonged period of time, consistently, it becomes a routine. Self-care is a routine that is non-negotiable, and this journal will set the tone for the present and future healthy you.”
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Video: Self-care for Caregivers by Linda Ercoli
This TEDxUCLA Talk will outline important coping strategies for people who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
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Article: The One Thing Caregivers Tend to Neglect by Ginny Graves
Great article from Oprah Daily about why caregivers need self-care and how easy it is to let it slip. Includes unique advice not covered in other articles, including a list of valuable resources.
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Booklet: Caring for the Caregiver
Created by the NIH’s National Cancer Institute this booklet covers a variety of topics including self-care for the caregiver. It “is not about how to take care of a patient. Instead, it provides ways for a friend or family member to take care of themselves while caring for someone with cancer. It gives you communication and self-care tips to focus on your needs while helping your loved one too.”
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Assessment: Self Check Tool for Caregivers
UCSF provides an easy to use tool to help you decide when to reach out for help.
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Making Time for Self-Care
36 page booklet by Care2Caregivers contains a variety of different ways to incorporate simple and easy to do self-care activities.
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Article: 7 Practical Tips for Self-Care
Created by the American Heart Association, this article cuts through the general advice and offers 7 truly practical ways to include self-care in your day.
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Booklet: Caregivers Self-Care Workbook
Created by a regional caregivers network in Canada, this 12 page booklet contain a step by step method of creating a viable plan to add daily self-care into your life.
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Video: How can caregivers make time for self-care?
Social Worker, Stephanie Erickson, talks about defining what self-care means to you and talks about finding time to make it happen.
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Self-Care & Social Media
Great article about protecting “your peace” on social media. Provides food for thought along with some questions to ask yourself for when it is a good time to unfollow or to mute someone on your feed.
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Article: 9 Reasons Why a Social Media Detox Is Good for You
Good article on why a “social media detox” might be a good thing for your own self-care.
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Sleep
Website: American Sleep Association
Although the link will take you to an article about sleep hygiene tips the website itself offers many articles (listed on the right side) with a great deal of information about sleep – all reviewed by experts on sleep.
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Staying Active as a Caregiver
AARP’s Family Caregiving offers a series on excellent articles on Caregiver Life Balance. They offer information, practical advice, and many time resource links for additional information.
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Article: Simple Ways Caregivers Can Stay Active
Good article offered by WebMD on ways to start becoming more active while being a caregiver.
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Handout: Caregivers and Exercise-Take Time for Yourself
This handout is brief introduction to the NIA/NIH Go4Life program that encourages staying active as a means to increase a person’s sense of well-being. Go4Life is especially good for beginners as it walks a person through what and how to add more activity into your life.
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Website: Exercise and Physical Activity
NIA’s excellent website containing articles, booklets, sample plans, and so much more – all geared towards helping you add exercise into your life in a sustainable way.
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