June 21, 2010  (12:05 PM)
Community resources imperative
You may have noticed that famous author and journalist Gail Sheehy is busy making the rounds promoting her new book, Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence. Sheehy was her husband's caregiver for 17 years before his death in 2008. In an interview featured in the San Francisco Chronicle today she shared this: "The first thing someone in that position needs to do is call on community resources, whether local hospice programs or the hot lines for national disease organizations," Sheehy said. "Caregiving is not something you can do alone." Yet, many caregivers continue to try to go it alone even though there may be a better way to provide care to a relative or friend. Hey, 'we’ve all been there, done that' and have made decisions to continue with a certain approach in our professional and/or personal lives, even if it’s no longer working. Sometimes the mere thought of doing something differently can be overwhelming and the effort to change can seem daunting despite the possible paybacks. But there is no harm in exploring. Today, take a look at the community resources and the Share The Care™ (STC) section featured on this site. Think in possibilities. Here's a great list from STC on who might be able to help you out. Still not convinced? How about asking one person to do something very specific like pick up a few items at the grocery store or sit with your relative for an hour so that you can do something for yourself? Remember,we all learned to walk before we learned to run. Have a happy Monday.

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