SCH 074 Self-Care Hacks From the Happy, Healthy Caregiver

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Family caregivers, whether you care for a family member long term, or for just a few months, will want to listen in as I interview Elizabeth, the Happy, Healthy Caregiver, as she shares hacks for taking care of yourself so you can serve others.

Raise Your Hand if You Know Any Family Caregivers

That might be a trick question. Chances are, even if you don’t raise your hand, you know some family caregivers. What IS a family caregiver? A person who spends time daily, weekly, or monthly assisting a family member in the regular routines of life that the rest of us take for granted.

My husband has joined the family caregivers club when his elderly parents moved down the street from us. Since they no longer drive, he spends time each week taking them shopping, accompanying them to doctor’s appointments, and helping them with their finances. I spent time in the family caregivers club when my husband had a catastrophic case of cancer and needed medical treatment hundreds of miles from home. After his stem-cell transplant, I spent time nursing him back to health.

Not every family caregiver will perform the same tasks, and not not all family caregivers experience the same stresses and stressors. But one constant remains. All family caregivers need to take care of themselves. Without a healthy self-care routine, we burn out and put our own health at risk.

Elizabeth Miller joins me on today’s podcast to talk about self-care hacks for family caregivers. Don’t worry, she won’t list routines which require hours of investment. Instead, she shares actionable hacks to help you overcome the overwhelm of caring for a family member.

Show Notes

You can find Elizabeth at Happy, Healthy Caregiver. She offers a free, 30-minute consultation (she’s a certified caregiver consultant).

You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

If you’d like to know how to help a caregiver at Christmas, check out this post.

For interviews with other caregivers, including award-winning author, podcaster, and neuropsychologist Dr. Michelle Bengtson, check out SCH Episodes 023, 024, 025, and 026.