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More and more people are becoming caregivers for sick and aging relatives every year in the United States. While caregiving is a great way to support loved ones, sometimes the supporters themselves need support. That is where caregiver support groups can come in handy.
In these groups, people will both listen to others and be heard themselves. The goal is to help people release stress in a healthy manner, realize they are not alone, form connections with others, and receive tips and tricks to help with caregiving duties and caregiver burnout.
Assuming unpaid caregiving duties can increase the risk of mental health issues and even premature death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Given the clear risks of caregiver burnout, it’s important for people to have easy access to caregiver resources to lessen the stress of caring for the older adults in their lives. Some people opt for respite care, or having the loved one that needs assistance go into a care facility for a short period of time, so that family caregivers can take a break from their caregiving duties. Others may opt for attending support groups.
There are support groups for anything and everything; whatever someone wants help working through, it’s possible to find a supportive group ready to listen. Popular aging-related support groups include:
Dementia is a brutal disease that impacts everyone involved, not just the person with severe memory loss. For family caregivers, there not only comes the stress of having to assume unpaid caregiving responsibilities, but also having to deal with the emotional impact of watching a loved one experience severe memory impairment.
It can be difficult to talk about these experiences with just anyone, because only people who have lived through these experiences can truly understand. That is why a support group specifically for relatives of people with dementia can help people cope with their current situation.
Dementia support groups available to people in the St. Louis area include the following:
Watching a parent age can be an unsettling experience. Children, even adult children, look up to their parents and regard them as authority figures. Yet, when elderly parents move in with adult children or need assistance in their daily lives, everything may feel upside down: they are the ones who need help, and the children are the ones in more authoritative positions.
This change in dynamics can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved at times, even in the most supportive and communicative families. That is where a support group can come in handy. Fortunately, there are several groups available for caregivers of aging parents in the St. Louis area.
These groups include, but are not limited to, the following:
Cancer is mentally and physically taxing for both the patient and their loved ones. For loved ones who assume caregiving duties, it’s vital to find ways to practice self-care in order to avoid caregiver burnout.
There are several cancer support groups that people in the St. Louis area may be eligible for, including the following:
Disclaimer– This article does not constitute professional, legal, medical, financial, or health care advice. While we strive to maintain accuracy, given the subject matter, we cannot guarantee 100% up-to-date, accurate information on this page.