Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi - (Page 51)

Compassion fatigue can cause: • Morale and personality deterioration • Negative effects to home life • Relationship problems • Overall health decline • Decline in job performance “Compassion fatigue is natural, predictable and preventable, but most importantly, it is treatable,” Holmes says. “You have permission to take care of yourself,” she adds. “When the stress of caregiving starts to affect your daily life, it is time to get professional help.” While many people may not want to vent their frustrations or concerns to friends or family members, Johnson says, “it can be so much easier and helpful to talk to someone who is totally unbiased.” For more information on services offered by the NMMC Behavioral Health Center, call 800442-2238. A Caregiver’s Story Judy Peeples of Ackerman has been the primary caregiver for her 90-yearold father for the past year. Her mother passed away more than five years ago, and her caregiving started by just cooking and cleaning for her father occasionally. But last winter, his COPD worsened and he was put on oxygen full time. “We knew he did not need to stay alone anymore,” Peeples says. “He wasn’t eating enough and was hospitalized for dehydration. He was put in an inpatient rehab program for two weeks then transferred to a long-term care facility. I couldn’t stand it so we decided to bring him home. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing, and knew we might have to take him back, but we had to at least try.” Peeples says she is glad she made that choice. “I’m just comforted by the fact he can look out his own window and be here with us,” she says. As his caregiver, she manages his medications and doctors’ appointments and helps him with activities of daily living. She describes it as an “overblown sense of responsibility.” Making TiMe for Herself “I have at least come to the point now that I know when I need a break; I know when I need to get away,” she says. “It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does I’m blessed that I can call my brother and he comes while I go see my children and grandchildren.” The best advice she can give other caregivers is to get a good night’s sleep and know your limitations. “You realize there’s only so much you can do,” she says. “Sometimes you do pretty good, sometimes you don’t. You just learn to say no to the responsibilities that are not totally necessary.” Her father is a patient of NMMC Home Health, which she says has made a huge difference in their quality of life. “Getting out and going to the doctor is such an ordeal,” she says. “Getting out his oxygen tank and wheelchair, getting in and out of the car—it’s just too much. Our home health nurse comes once a week to check his vitals, weigh him and check on his medicines. Plus, if I ever have any questions I can call her. They serve as a liaison between us and his doctors, which makes things so much easier on us.” appreciaTing THe posiTives While Peeples realizes that caregiving at home may eventually become too much to handle and he may have to return to a long-term care facility, she is grateful for the time they have had together at home. “It is hard to be a caregiver, no doubt about it,” she says. “But we have had so many wonderful talks about things we might not have ever talked about otherwise. Conversations that I will remember for the rest of my life ... It has been much more of a blessing to me to be his caregiver than it has been a hardship.” Vim & Vigor • WI NTER 2011 51

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Getting Back to Life
ACT Now!
Lingering Memories
Accumulating Accolades
Back in Action
Supplementary Knowledge
Keys to Survival
Clearing the Air
Mark Harmon of NCIS fame makes 60 look good
This One’s for the Girls
Life After a Loss
Do Your Diabetes Homework
Healthy Returns
Care for the Caregiver
Gaining Control
Moving Forward
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - North Mississippi