Caregivers do need help to relieve stress and may find themselves in the yelling/guilty cycle as I do. I notice that often people recommend getting a caregiver, adult daycare, assisted living, memory care or friends to help relieve caregiver stress. The first few are very expensive and might end up being more stressful financially. It is assumed the loved one would go along. Also, some of us have friends with their own health issues (my best friend’s husband has cancer, another COPD, another has just been blinded by eye operation, another is helping her daughter who has young children and needed a cochlear implant, another has a husband with Alzheimer’s and was just diagnosed with breast cancer herself.) As far as close relatives go, my 85 year old sister needs help herself with atherosclerosis, A-fib and UBS. My 82 year old brother was just in the hospital after getting COVID which kicked off A-fib and he has atherosclerosis. His wife just had heart surgery. Adult children live at a distance and have small children and jobs. My sister-in-law just had eye surgery for cancer and another lives miles away with heart issues herself. The only relief when I start yelling is to try to go into another room and breathe and that is just a brief solution.There are others on this site in similar positions so the site is a blessing as is journaling (complaining). Any other suggestions to stop losing my temper with my spouse who can drive me crazy.
