As a caregiver, asking for and accepting help may not come naturally. But getting support is essential to staying sane and healthy as a caregiver. Without it, you put yourself at greater risk for depression and poor health.
You may face barriers to lightening your load. Maybe your efforts to enlist other family members haven’t worked, or you worry that no one else can care for your loved one as well as you do. Frances Huang, a medical social worker at Mills-Peninsula who has coached caregivers for two decades, offers strategies for communicating your needs more effectively and developing a support network.