YANA-CCC
You Are Not Alone - CORPORATE CONCIERGE CAREGIVING

#1
Welcome to the World of Family Caregiving

  • From “Silent Patient” to an integral “Member of the Healthcare Team.”
  • The 3-legged Healthcare Stool.
  • Defining Family Caregiver, Carer, and Caregiving.
  • Finding your place, naming it, and knowing YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

#2
Let’s Look at Family and the World of Family Caregiving

  • Families of Origin and Families of Choice.
  • The origin of Families of Choice terminology.
  • Corporations, your apartment house or immediate neighborhoods are also families of choice.
  • Naming your family of origin and families of choice and those of your care recipient.
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#3
Let’s Look at Caregiving

THE MANY FACES OF CAREGIVING — WHICH ONES ARE PART OF YOUR LIFE?

  • The elderly-the old (70s and 80s) caring for the old-old (90s and 100+)
  • KINSHIP/ INTERGENERATIONAL: Grandparents/Grandchildren
  • Chronic Conditions
    Long distance caregiving
  • LGBTQ+ caregiving (Horizontal caregiving very often)
  • Children and Youth as caregivers
  • End of life in the middle of life (i.e. AIDS)
  • Military persons and veterans
  • Men as caregivers
  • The homeless as caregivers
  • Caregiving in the prison system

#4
Maintaining the Physical for You and your Care Recipient

  • Diet and Exercise: no matter the diagnosis
  • Finding support
  • Learning to manage the medical issues for you and your care recipient
  • Keeping records/ Keeping notes for the next medical appointment (you and theirs)
  • Setting boundaries: “NO” is a complete sentence
  • Coordinating support for you and your care recipient
  • LIVING INTO THE KEY RULE OF CAREGIVING:
    “BEFORE I CAN CARE FOR YOU ; I NEED TO CARE FOR MYSELF.”
    (THE OLD AIRPLANE STORY,YOUR MASKS)

#5
Maintaining the Emotional / Mental for You and your Care Recipient

  • Feelings are not facts! Honor all feelings – journal, gratitude lists, share with those who
    listen.
  • Mental Health professionals are as important as Medical ones.
  • Support Groups matter: online or in person
  • Remember we are CAREGivers NOT CUREGivers
  • You did not cause it; you cannot control it; you cannot cure it. BUT you can BE PRESENT
    IN THE MOMENT.
  • YOU ACCEPT IT , JUST AS IT IS.
  • What happened is not your focus; it has happened…..now the focus is on the present.
  • DO NOT SPEAK TO THE DISEASE!

    MENTAL/EMOTIONAL WINS: Reading, Writing, Creating, Learning, Being Grateful

#6
Maintaining the Spiritual for You and your Care Recipient

  • We are not talking about RELIGION, but about the essence of you and your care
    recipient
  • We are focusing on your journey in life and what gives you: JOY, DIRECTION, PURPOSE,
    PEACE
  • We are focusing on your journey in life and what helps you each make decisions for
    your lives.
  • If a given faith tradition, religion or religious practices informs your essence, honor it,
    include it.
  • IF A GIVEN SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OR STUDY INFORMS YOUR ESSENCE, HONOR IT,
    INCLUDE IT.

    SPIRITUAL WINS: Praying, Meditating, Study, Growing, Living in Gratitude and Abundance.

    Learning to speak SPIRIT TO SPIRIT, NOT TO THE DISEASE. YouAre NotAlone

#7
Death, Dying and Grief ...............
Death is part of life.

  • The death of the care recipient is NOT THE END of the JOURNEY for the Caregiver
  • Walking out of the labyrinth of your care recipient’s life is now your journey
  • Leaving your care recipient in eternity as you understand that.
  • Caring for yourself and giving yourself the same abundant love you gave the Care
    recipient.
  • Finding the journey of grief to be a journey back to surrender and gratitude.
  • Avoiding caregiver fatigue, co-dependency, or becoming a “serial caregiver” and NEVER
    CARING FOR YOU!

#8
The Gifts and Blessings of Caregiving

  • Being GRATEFUL for the opportunity to have done more than you ever thought you
    could and YOU DID!
  • Recognizing and honoring your growth.
  • Recognizing your emotional and spiritual growth.
  • Doing the things that you too need to do in your life. Preparing:
    • Your planning documents as a future care recipient
    • A hospital go bag for you.
    • Your contact list.
    • Being certain someone knows what you wish when you become the care Recipient
  • OTHER ACTIONS:
    • Giving new ways from what you have learned:
    • Sharing what you have learned with others.
    • Taking action to create and share a resource thatwas not there for you
    • And most of all TREASURE THE LOVE YOU GAVE AND RECEIVED (not necessarily from your care
      recipient, but from many others)