You became a caregiver to give your loved-one unconditional love, support, and quality care within the comforts of home. Your daily devotion enables them to live a more meaningful, joyful life. You absorb ALL of the stress from the current complex situation. The mental and physical exhaustion is depleting your own health, but you still smile. Socializing is limited, but isolation is in surplus. Why do caregivers expose themselves to such a stressful, unpredictable environment? We care about the welfare of others and believe our participation in their lives will create nurturing relationships. We give hope to an otherwise hopeless situation. Providing an ailing loved-one with a fulfilled life is rewarding, but do we care too much? Is there such a thing as caring too much?
We caregivers have very nurturing, caring, independent mentalities. These mind-sets wreak havoc on our health and create unsatisfactory care environments. Caregiving is mentally and physically draining. Most of us have suffered from caregiver stress and burnout. It’s an emotional roller-coaster! What emotions surface while caregiving? Anger, sorrow, happiness, love, fear, and surprise are just a few emotions encountered by caregivers. The most mentally exhausting emotion during my caregiving journey was guilt. I was devoting my life to the happiness and well-being of a loved-one. Why did I feel guilty?
After her second stroke, my grandmother received all nutrition and hydration through a feeding tube. She couldn’t eat or drink by mouth, only via peg-tube. How could I possibly eat anything in front of this wonderful lady? I felt guilty eating because she wasn’t able to indulge in the foods she once found so delicious. I ate many meals at the kitchen counter, in a location not visible to her baby blue eyes.
My grandmother was left bed-bound after suffering two strokes between the ages of 73-78. She was unable to eat, stand, or complete any daily tasks. She was completely dependent on me….for EVERYTHING. This once independent woman was now dependent on an 18 year old! The irony, in previous years I was her dependent! Again, guilt surfaces and shows its ugly face. My mind is overwhelmed with WHY, WHY, WHY?
- Why did this healthy woman have multiple strokes?
- Why is this master of culinary arts unable to eat the food she loves?
- Why did this kind, sweet, and giving lady get such a “raw deal” in life?
I felt guilty because I was healthy.
Heart failure ended my grandmother’s life. As a caregiver for an elderly loved-one, I knew my responsibilities would end, but not exactly when or how. It’s frightening trying to be prepared for the unexpected. When she passed I was overwhelmed with guilt. Again, my mind was flooded with questions.
- What did I do wrong? She was fine last night when I put her into bed.
- Could I have prevented this?
- Maybe I should have done this instead of that?
- Did I overlook some detail that caused this?
- Did my grandmom die because of something I did or missed?
Caregiver guilt exists during and after caregiving. Because of faithful devotion to helping others, we caregivers create an unhealthy emotional environment for ourselves. We can’t accept certain terms and outcomes. Our mind is geared for success not failure. Please share this post to prepare other caregivers for their emotional but rewarding journey. Thank you and good luck!
