Hi everyone, I'm a student major in design and now i'm researching how to make Alzheimer's caregivers prioritize their own health. The following is a script I wrote, and I will implement my design according to the content of the script.
I wonder if this script could convince you to prioritize your own health? Or at least generate the will to take care of yourself. It would be great if you guys could give me some advice on where the script falls short!
(Since I'm not a native English speaker, there may be some grammatical mistakes and odd statements in the script, please forgive me)
When your partner, your parent, develops Alzheimer's, you are grieving, helpless, and yet feel an intense responsibility to care. You devoted almost all of your time and energy to your beloved patient, and you swallowed all your exhaustion and emotions in your heart. Finally one day, when your lover suddenly fell down again, a part of your heart suddenly collapsed... (Triggers happen in different ways. One common burnout trigger amongst caregivers is fecal incontinence. Or it could be another event the patient cannot control, like a fall.)
Like them, you are getting older, your legs and feet are inflexible, and your responsiveness is not as good as when you were young. (23% of older caregivers caring for persons 65+ report a higher degree of physical strain compared to 17% who are younger.) Your current job, let a young man with vigor and vigor do it, he is completely competent. However, you are no longer. You should be someone who deserves to be taken care of, but your status as a caregiver keeps you from getting the care you deserve, and even you gradually forget to take care of yourself. When you start to gradually become forgetful, have difficulty concentrating, have difficulty falling asleep at night, and have more and more headaches, it is already a sign of burnout, but you do not realize the seriousness of the problem because you lack an evaluation of your own physical and mental state. (Many caregivers cannot recognize when they are suffering the early signs of burnout and eventually get to the point where they cannot function effectively.) The guidance has never been told to you: caregivers also need to be cared for. So, we're here to tell you that you need to prioritize your own health! Caregiver is the one who deserve the care! Your own health and your loved one's health are interrelated. You have been forgetting to take care of yourself, and your neglect of your own health has indirectly led to harm to the person being cared for. What you need to know is that the care is together and mutual. Caring for you is a way of caring for them, so there is no shame in entertaining and relaxing for yourself! We know your care and love for the person you are caring for, especially when he is your partner, but this kind of love may bring extra stress to you, (Those caring for a spouse are most like to report fair or poor health (27% versus 15% for all other relationships)) You sometimes need to change your mind from "I will never put you into a nursing home!" to "I don't know what the future holds, but I promise I 'll do my best to provide you with the quality care you deserve.". If part of your stress comes from unreasonable demands from family members, talk to them about sharing your caregiving responsibilities and emphasizing the importance of your own health. If unskilled operation puts you under pressure, we will provide basic operation training to help you master it. In conclusion, your physical and mental health should be your priority, and if you are already showing some signs of burnout, don't hesitate to seek help from your GP immediately. Caring yourself is the easiest thing to initiate, start taking care of yourself before the worst happens!
I wonder if this script could convince you to prioritize your own health? Or at least generate the will to take care of yourself. It would be great if you guys could give me some advice on where the script falls short!
(Since I'm not a native English speaker, there may be some grammatical mistakes and odd statements in the script, please forgive me)
When your partner, your parent, develops Alzheimer's, you are grieving, helpless, and yet feel an intense responsibility to care. You devoted almost all of your time and energy to your beloved patient, and you swallowed all your exhaustion and emotions in your heart. Finally one day, when your lover suddenly fell down again, a part of your heart suddenly collapsed... (Triggers happen in different ways. One common burnout trigger amongst caregivers is fecal incontinence. Or it could be another event the patient cannot control, like a fall.)
Like them, you are getting older, your legs and feet are inflexible, and your responsiveness is not as good as when you were young. (23% of older caregivers caring for persons 65+ report a higher degree of physical strain compared to 17% who are younger.) Your current job, let a young man with vigor and vigor do it, he is completely competent. However, you are no longer. You should be someone who deserves to be taken care of, but your status as a caregiver keeps you from getting the care you deserve, and even you gradually forget to take care of yourself. When you start to gradually become forgetful, have difficulty concentrating, have difficulty falling asleep at night, and have more and more headaches, it is already a sign of burnout, but you do not realize the seriousness of the problem because you lack an evaluation of your own physical and mental state. (Many caregivers cannot recognize when they are suffering the early signs of burnout and eventually get to the point where they cannot function effectively.) The guidance has never been told to you: caregivers also need to be cared for. So, we're here to tell you that you need to prioritize your own health! Caregiver is the one who deserve the care! Your own health and your loved one's health are interrelated. You have been forgetting to take care of yourself, and your neglect of your own health has indirectly led to harm to the person being cared for. What you need to know is that the care is together and mutual. Caring for you is a way of caring for them, so there is no shame in entertaining and relaxing for yourself! We know your care and love for the person you are caring for, especially when he is your partner, but this kind of love may bring extra stress to you, (Those caring for a spouse are most like to report fair or poor health (27% versus 15% for all other relationships)) You sometimes need to change your mind from "I will never put you into a nursing home!" to "I don't know what the future holds, but I promise I 'll do my best to provide you with the quality care you deserve.". If part of your stress comes from unreasonable demands from family members, talk to them about sharing your caregiving responsibilities and emphasizing the importance of your own health. If unskilled operation puts you under pressure, we will provide basic operation training to help you master it. In conclusion, your physical and mental health should be your priority, and if you are already showing some signs of burnout, don't hesitate to seek help from your GP immediately. Caring yourself is the easiest thing to initiate, start taking care of yourself before the worst happens!