| Caregiving Combating Hopelessness and Grief |
 |
|
(Page 3) The expressed feeling of this caregiver also illustrates the significance that grief can occur even without death. It may happen when a person experiences any number of losses including relationships, objects, purpose or personal meaning in one's life. Much has been written about the specific stages of grief that warrants the need to recognize one of the more prominent authorities, namely, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. The initial stage is usually associated with shock and disbelief. The hallmark characteristics of this stage include feelings of numbness, denial, and periods of despair. Second stage involvement facilitates a degree of awareness of the loss fostering feelings of sadness, anger, guilt and resentment. The third stage of grief, which usually requires at least a year, is referred to as the "restitution" stage. This phase often requires that the person works through his or her mourning and effectively deals with the painful void in their life. In the final stage the person is able to acknowledge and put the lost relationship in perspective. The caregiver's grief is often affected by many factors, such as their personality, whether they've had previous losses in their life, intimacy and degree of closeness in their relationship with the one they're caring for and their personal resources which serve to support them. Maybe you know someone who is a caregiver and is having difficulty dealing with his or her feelings of hopelessness and loss. You may have considered getting involved but you just weren't sure you knew what to say or what to do. Inevitably, you did neither leaving the caregiver to think that you just didn't care. Don't feel alone. We've all done this one time or another in our lives. We had good intentions, unfortunately we never followed through! Here are some helpful solutions that can assist you with making a difference in the life of a caregiver. First and foremost, be an active listener. Motivation is an essential component in the recovery process of hopelessness. The caregiver must be able to determine a specific goal even if he or she has strong doubts about accomplishing them. You can help by way of being an encourager and assisting the person with setting a specific goal. Remember that the accomplishment of small achievements allows the caregiver to build a sense of self worth and esteem one step at a time. Once that initial goal has been accomplished set out to establish another goal with the caregiver. |