Caregiver Care – It’s Alright to Take Time for You
Every parent is a caregiver but a parent of a child with a chronic illness becomes a caregiver, medical linguist, translator, chauffer, appointment scheduling genius and so much more. Many times the one thing that the parent of a chronically ill child forgets to take care of is…themselves. While your child’s health is a top priority, you need to remember that you cannot take care of them if you are ill or mentally drained.
It is difficult, between time off work for appointments and remembering at home medications and stretching to caring for the home, we often forget that we need support too. We might feel like we can’t afford time off work for our own appointments or needs. We might feel selfish for even thinking about going away or taking a night off and leaving our child. What if they flare while we are gone? What if the babysitter forgets the medication? There are things we can do to help ease that anxiety.
It is important to have a network of individuals that understands the challenges of raising a child with a chronic illness and reach out to that network for a break! Maybe you just need to talk to someone who understands or maybe you physically need a break, do not be afraid to ask. You are doing what your child needs because in the end, they need you to be there – both in mind and body in order to properly care for them.
Submitted By Emily Neu
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