“DIVA INTERRUPTED: Oh God now what….change my mother’s diapers? With these nails!!!”
Elise “Hollywood” Evans
- “DIVA INTERRUPTED, OH GOD NOW WHAT? How am I supposed to change my mother’s diapers with these nails?” Is what I had to wrap my brain around as my mother “poo pooed” in her diaper in the middle of me changing her my first time!!! I started crying and chanted, “I can’t do this!” over and over.My 3 children ran into my room and at that moment changing my mother turned into a “CAREGIVING FAMILY AFFAIR”. Carolyn A. Brent’s “The Caregivers Companion” is our new bible. “Taking Care of Yourself When You Are The Caregiver” chapter resonated the loudest with my “Diva” inner self. It’s so easy to let yourself go when your parent’s life is basically in your hands. On behalf of my family, THANK YOU Carolyn for sharing your story and providing invaluable information and resources to help guide us through this process. Congratulations and much success with your book(s).“My son and his band members are in the basement teaching Tamara how to play guitar, Amara (11yro) how to play bass. Amara comes up stairs, AMARA, “Mom, I think grandma pooled in her diaper”. ME, “So, when is band rehearsal over? School tomorrow, And, WE NEED TO change Grandma’s diaper“. “BALLIN’ OFF TALENT FAMILY HUSTLE! TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK!
Elise is the Chief Executive Officer at Joygirl Productions, Dancer at SambaFunk! and Singer-songwriter at Soul Purpose Entertainment Pro. Past: Soul Purpose Entertainment Pro. and MC Hammer
- Sandi Jackson, CEO of —Sisters In Fitness and Health was formed to promote spiritual fitness, physical fitness and a lifestyle of healthy eating and living. We will raise awareness about obesity and rid our communities of obesity and obesity related diseases.Visit Sandi’s website at SIFH- Wellness | Its About the Journey!
Show information- Call in to speak with the host — (909) 362-8206
- DIVA INTERRUPTED: Oh God now what…
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Margo Rose author & wellness coach has been a fitness trainer for over 15 years and specializes in injury reduction, senior wellness and making
exercise more comfortable. When her mother, father, sister, a romantic partner and three pets passed away, she faced grief and depression. At times it was really hard to go to work and get through each day. In order to function skillfully during difficult times, Margo Rose created a system to stay organized and practical while handling strong emotions. She calls this system of self-care Body Aware Grieving. She has been helping her clients with these effective techniques and looks forward to sharing them with you. If you would like to be notified when Margo Rose’s upcoming book, Body Aware Grieving, A Fitness Trainer’s Guide to Caring for Your Health During Sad Times~
is available, go
to Amazon and click on “wishlist”
- Twitter @BodyAwareGrief
- Facebook BodyAwareGrieving
- BodyAwareGrieving.com
Taking Care of Yourself When You Are a Caregiver
MY STORY
After going through the journey and heartache of being the family caregiver for my father for twelve years, and then enduring the pain of legal conflicts with my siblings, I ultimately asked myself a key question: What would I do differently if I could do it all over again? My answer was simple: I would take better care of myself.
Looking back, I do not regret my decision to be my father’s caregiver. I did it for love. It was rewarding to have the opportunity to give of myself to my father in his time of need, as he had given so much to me. Even so, it was exhausting. It took a very real physical toll on my body.
The moral of my story: to be an effective caregiver, you must also take care of yourself. I’ve found that exercise and meditation help me to relax, and now I wish I had known to take some time to nurture myself better while I was on the journey with my father.
While interviewing more than fifteen hundred caregivers nationwide, I was amazed that they all gave responses that were similar to mine when I asked them the question, “What would you do differently?” We’re so busy caring for our loved ones that we forget how important our own self-care is. As a result, caregivers end up with all sorts of physical ailments, such as back and neck problems. We even end up in the hospital.
When I asked one woman if there was something she’d do differently if she could do the caregiving all over again, she, too, remarked, “I didn’t give consideration to my own health, and I should have.” She then confessed that she’d had so much love for her mother that even though she herself had diabetes and hypertension, when she was at her mother’s bedside in the hospital, her eating habits fell apart. Matters came to a head one day, when she thought she was having a heart attack. She couldn’t make it from her chair in the living room to her dining room table without feeling like she was going to fall down. She went to see the doctor and was told she had severe anemia. And like many other caregivers, who somehow manage to keep themselves going with adrenaline when in a crisis mode, in the transition period when she was grieving her mom’s death, the woman fell apart.
Caregivers are notoriously run-down. A common thread in all my conversations with the caregivers I have met across the country is how beaten up they feel. They’re trying to help someone they love and they’re falling to pieces in the process.
For detailed information on how to “Take Better Care of Yourself — get my brand new book — Bestseller: The Caregiver’s Companion: Caring for Your Loved One Medically, Financially and Emotionally While Caring for Yourself
Make Caregiving A Family Affair
Discover the step-by-step process that will help make caregiving a family affair.
The Caregiver’s Companion
Everything you need to know to ensure that your elderly loved one is being properly cared for.
