We’re not called the sandwich generation for nothing. Almost a third of U.S. adults (29 percent) act as a caregiver for an ill, elderly or disabled relative, per the National Alliance for Caregiving. Of those, roughly 66 percent are female, many of them also caring for children at home. The role can take a serious toll on your health and well-being. There’s of course the emotional strain, especially if you’re caring for a relative with dementia or another illness that requires constant monitoring. Moreover, 17 percent of caregivers in an AARP report said that their own physical health had worsened from caregiving.
“Caregiving can be very isolating, is a job most people didn’t apply for and never received proper training in and does not pay very well,” says Jerri Rosenfeld, a social worker at Northern Westchester Hospital’s Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y. But you don’t have to go it alone. Try these resources.
RELATED: Best and Worst Ways to Cope With Stress
Start with a support group
“Sometimes all you need is an opportunity to share your feelings and swap strategies in a nonjudgmental and supportive atmosphere,” Rosenfeld says. Check to see if your local hospital, church or synagogue offers resources. Or try your town’s rec center, which may have a senior or elder program that also gives caregiver support.
RELATED: How to Help a Loved One Cope With Breast Cancer
Find the right online help
About 25 percent of family caregivers seek support online, whether in discussion forums or on social media channels like Facebook, according to a 2011 Caring.com survey. Look for groups that focus on just caregivers, not ones that combine patient and family. “You need to be able to be frank about your own issues, feelings and concerns without worrying about hurting someone else’s feelings,” Rosenfeld explains.
A few places to get started: Caring.com features caregiver support groups for a wide range of conditions (including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, MS and Parkinson’s) at caring.com/support-groups. AARP’s online caregiving resource center offers a space to connect to others facing issues around caregiving for the elderly; so does the caregiver support section at AgingCare.com.