Update for Ed and others on Care Course

Pam BH

Ed, you'd asked for an update and I'm about a third of the way into the Care Course (by Dr. Natali Edmunds), and it's a game changer for me. Stress was badly affecting my outlook and my health. Here's a couple of things that have helped me so far:

Stress isn't a bad thing. We actually need it to alert us to be ready to handle what the world (in this case dementia) throws at us. It's our reaction to or thoughts about stress that can be either good or bad. My example of a negative reaction: I'm not a natural caregiver and don't know how to do it.  My example of a positive reaction: I'm a better caregiver than I was 3 years ago or even yesterday, and I'll be an even better one tomorrow.

Self-care doesn't have to be away from home. It can be doing everyday things with a different mindset. My example is I work from home proofreading legal transcripts. I was considering retiring to give me more time for caregiving, but what if I turned my work into a positive? I can proofread sitting beside him while he watches TV (he wears headphones) and totally escape into what I'm reading (criminal transcripts unfortunately are very interesting) and get paid for it as a bonus. I love to cook and my alone time in the kitchen allows me to be free. When DH sleeps late (more frequently now), that is me-time to do my devotionals, Bible study, catch up on this forum, do the care course, and anything else that gives me joy.

Thank you for arranging the free viewing of one of her lessons for the forum. It came at just the right time for me. 

Ed1937

Pam, thank you for the update. I'm glad it seems to be working for you. And you can keep getting paid!