Dementia Diaries: Caregiver Guilt
Updated: Oct 1, 2020
I remember sitting in this parking lot recording this live video like it was yesterday! I felt so guilty. I was so incredibly overwhelmed at this point. So confused.
My wedding had been called off a few months prior to this. I was BROKEN in every sense of the word. I felt like I had no clue what I was doing as a caregiver.
GUILT is a very real emotion for caregivers. My mom used to cry and BEG me not to take her back to the facility 2 years ago. I used to feel terrible if I didn't visit her every... single... day... after I worked. Her family wasn't visiting. My brother wasn't helping. I felt like I had to be daughter + about 10 other people.
But I've learned a lot in two years. You can wear a lot of hats, but you can't BE everyone to somebody.
Specifically that you HAVE TO find a way to take care of yourself--even when doing that feels so selfish.
Watch the first 5 minutes, if you don't want to watch the whol thing... then jump to 17:00 when things start getting real ugly.