Caregiving Stress

Dear Matt, Jane, and Ryan,
Most of what I have written has been addressed to Ashley because I want her to feel like she is the center of her care.  In the past she's expressed feeling like a lab rat, or like doctors didn't listen to what she feeling, so I want her to read all of this care plan before any care is forced upon her.
However, without you guys, none of this would be possible.  You are her acting care providers on a day-to-day basis, and since I cannot be there, I hope you can use some of these suggestions to help her feel better.  Some days, though, I know you must feel like so much is being asked of you.  You are responsible for your own lives and your own well-being, but you have also been given the responsibility of the well-being of your daughter and sister.  This must feel so overwhelming and unfair sometimes, and I want you to know that that is a completely normal and okay feeling.  Don't forget to care for yourselves too.  You are under a lot of stress and coping with this is essential for your own happiness and mental health.  I encourage you to use these ideas to assist each other and to reach out to a counselor to help.  Let me know if I can do more research or help in any other way.
-Amanda

Risk for Caregiver Role Strain related to long-term duration of care required.

• Assess levels of perceived stress (Carpenito-Moyet, 2010). 
• Assess for healthy or unhealthy coping strategies currently used to ensure they help caregivers in dealing with the strain they are under (Dean & Wilcock, 2012).
• Provide sufficient education about the disease process identified, symptoms expected and reasons for these, answering questions and addressing any concerns they have (Dean & Wilcock, 2012).
• Strengthen existing coping strategies and teach new ones (Carpenito-Moyet, 2010).
• Educate about the need for self-care while caregiving, as burnout is possible in a chronically high-stress situation (Merluzzi, Philip, Vachon, & Heitzmann, 2011).  This includes maintaining health and seeking support when necessary (Merluzzi et al., 2011). 
• Refer to counseling services which can provide an outlet and help the family reframe stressful situations.  Risk for untreated dysthymia is significant among caregivers (Vitaliano & Katon, 2006).
• Refer to support groups for families of adolescents with chronic illness because they can sharee mutual experiences (Carpenito-Moyet, 2010).