FROM THE EDITOR'S PEN /
Guilt
Edged Stories
/
Editorial List
There is an extremely long list
of things which are simply unfair and undeserved
that we caregivers face as we care for our loved
ones. On that list, of course are unhelpful
(and sometimes ungrateful) relatives, the financial
challenges we face, undeserved shame, sleepless
nights and probably the most unfair of all -
Caregiver Guilt.
The irony is that you can feel
"caregiver guilt" despite the fact that you have
done nothing at all to deserve to feel that way.
In fact your every action when caregiving
contradicts the very characteristics of guilt, which
according to Wikipedia is a state in which one
experiences conflict at having done something that
one believes one should not have done (or
conversely, having not done something one believes
one should have done).
Responses to last week's request
for Caregiver Guilt Stories:
When have I felt caregiver
guilt? My worst moment was telling myself I
didn't want to be a caregiver before I
volunteered for my father in law...Continued
I have felt caregiver guilt for
a little over two years and have not been able to
resolve it. I have almost had a nervous
breakdown... Continued
After 8 years of taking care of
both of my parents by myself, I had a stroke on
April 9th of this year...Continued
There are 2 kinds of caregiver guilt. The first is
obvious….its when you should do something and
don’t...Continued
Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com
