Multiple Sclerosis Caregiver Advice

Providing emotional support and physical care for someone with MS can be deeply rewarding. It can also be overwhelming. The strain of balancing care with other responsibilities can lead to feelings of martyrdom, anger, depression and guilt. One of the biggest mistakes caregivers make is thinking they can handle everything alone. The key thing to remember is that you have to take care of yourself, too. If you don't, you may find it challenging to be a successful caregiver.

The National MS Society suggests several things you can do to avoid burnout:

• Reach out for practical and emotional support. Sharing your stress can help alleviate your stress.
• Sleep. Caring for another person takes a lot of energy. Make sure you get your rest.
• Have fun. You also need to nurture your social side and give yourself an outlet to laugh and be with friends.
• Be honest. Many emotional stresses are the result of poor communication. You should be able to discuss your fears and concerns openly.
• Keep your own hobbies and interests. Research shows that the emotional stress of caring is related to how "trapped" by their situation caregivers feel.
• Exercise. Try to set aside 20-30 minutes each day for yourself, so you can clear your head, release endorphins, and care for your body.
• Maintain a healthy diet. Just because you're caring for someone else doesn't mean your own eating habits should slip. Take the time to eat the right foods. They can give you energy, strength, and valuable vitamins and minerals that improve your well-being.
• Join an MS caregiver support group. They can offer an outlet for your emotions and provide practical information and support.
• Watch out for resentment. Anger is a common emotion for caregivers. The caregiving situation can feel (and often is) unfair. So it's crucial to deal with frustration in a healthy way, before angry encounters become physically and emotionally abusive. But tensions can mount in even the most loving families. If that's the case, call for a time-out by seeking professional help.

 

Caregiver checklist

These steps provide you and the person you're caring for with a game plan.

Print the PDF.

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Guide for Caregivers

Find more tips like the ones above to help you put yourself first.

Get the brochure.

 

For more information on caregiving, you may wish to contact these organizations:

• National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA)
  www.nfcacares.org
  The NFCA site provides caregivers with tips, newsletters, advocacy, and updates.
• Caregiving.com
  www.caregiving.com
  This site offers a monthly newsletter, weekly tips, and a support center full of stories written and sent in by caregivers.

Caring for someone with multiple sclerosis (MS) can be as deeply satisfying as it is emotionally and physically exhausting. Most people with MS don't become so severely disabled that they require long-term care full time. But MS is unpredictable, and each person's experience with MS is different. Regardless of what kind of care a person with MS needs, it's important to remember that you — the caregiver — and the person you're caring for are in this together. Like any healthy relationship, this requires work from both of you.

Caregiver checklist

The steps below provide you and the person you're caring for with the highlights of the Caregiver Checklist PDF .

1. Determine the level of care needed.
Ask the medical team what treatments and what kind of help will be necessary to provide optimal care.

2. Cover the financial and life planning implications.
When you have MS, financial planning and life planning are essential for continued stability, so they should be started early.

3. Make the home MS friendly.
Taking care of a person with MS at home may require some changes, or even renovations, to increase safety, accessibility and comfort.

4. Be aware of your changing relationship.
At some point, caregivers who are also spouses or partners will usually face changes in their sexual relationship, and it helps to talk about what's going on, even consulting a doctor if necessary.