Welcome To Your Resource For
Caregiving Journey.
A Successful
Our annual theme is "SHIFT Get Off The Brake"
Meaning it's time to make some changes and some choices have a better quality of life!
Next Caregiver Training Session: "SHIFT Get Off The Brake" Starts June 2017
 When Grandparents Are The CaregiverSupporting grandparents who are caring for loved ones and their children |  Trust- A Caregiver Toolbox EssentialTrust should be in every Family Caregivers Toolbox...Misuse of it can cause long-term damage & possibly relapse. |  Caregiver StressThe effects of stress on the Family Caregiver reach far beyond the physical. Are you aware of depression for Caregivers? |  When Self-Sacrifice trades Self-CareWhen a caregiver sacrifices their health and well being to take care of their loved one... |
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 Take A Break or Take A Break - FB and TwitterHow important is Self-Care? If you don't take the break you will be forced to break... |
Psalm 81:16
"But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
We can pray and pray and pray for help and it arrives and we don't recognize it because it dosesn't look like what we thought it would. Your arrival here if you are a caregiver or a survivor is not by mistake.
Have you signed up for the 6 week Caregiver training? It's called: #SHIFTGetOffTheBreak
Our annual theme for 2017 is #SHIFTGetOffTheBrake
What is preventing us caregivers from making our self care a priority?
A resounding, "Where do I have the time or money to get away?" is normally the answer and other reasons are a loved one will not stay with anyone else or the caregiver cannot get a certified professional who knows how to handle the negative symptoms of a mental illness because of financial constraints and there many times not enough support from family, friends and community.
As a mental health caregiver I have found myself in the very same predicament and unless you are the one caring or a loved one with a mental illness you cannot relate to the challenges a caregiver faces. Learning to retrain how we think about self care is not an easy task because there are so many forms of self care and they are as different as the the person who chooses whatever form of self care they participate in. What I learned during our new therapy sessions is the form of self care we were taking was not enough, but I also learned that as much as I thought I was being a good "assistant" to my son on this journey of recovery I was actually overstepping and over reaching, taking on tasks and worries he could handle on his own, even though it appeared he wasn't handling my "meddling" very well.
On top of the time constraints we face as Family Caregivers there is also the motivation factor. How many times have you said I'm going to take a walk or change the way I've been eating to feel better? How many times have you said you were going to try a new hair style to get your "old self" back? There are so many things that fall by the wayside as a Family Caregiver because we are so accustomed to placing our needs behind those of our loved ones we care for and our other family members who depend on us.
2017 is going to be about us finally. We are finally going to put us first! The first step in doing so is getting an accountability partner. Someone who is going to lovinly give us a nudge, and who we will give a loving nudge to, but also someone who has a life very much similar to our own in terms of caregiving. What if you don't have a motivation partner? You have to keep taking care of you and build a support group for other caregivers, if we don't have it sometimes we have to create our happy.
The only way to start living the life you desire is to do the work to get there, it won't happen over night. We are entering a new year and there are many resoulutions being made. There are the promises to leave the negative and burdensome experiences we endured behind in 2015, and we mean well when making those promises to ourselves. We actually desire to have a better life but sometimes we don't consider the work it will take to get that life.
You Are Not Alone
If we isolate ourselves we start to believe we are alone in our suffering and battles as mental health family caregivers.
I would cry because I thought life was kicking the crap out of only our family when we began our journey. Nothing we did worked. Our lives were out of control. We were getting the stuffing kicked out of us on a daily by mental illness.
Everything the psychiatrist was telling us made sense in the office but once we got home it didn't fit or it wasn't effective.
It wasn't until I began researching how people lived and managed their illnesses that I was able to build a plan custom fit for my son who was battling mania and depression, and for me as I battled depression and anxiety.
What I have learned I have shared with other family caregivers and it's been effective in helping them to cater a journey that fits their family. Because that's what's important and makes room for a successful recovery.
You don't have to take this journey alone. Join us as we too continue our journey. You are not alone, there are thousands of us doing this thing and giving it all we have, and making it.
You will too.
In order to change what we don't like we have to commit to be consistent, but we must also practice the new changes for long periods before they "stick".
According to studies it takes 21 days to change a habit, that means practicing day in and day out. Changing our environment, changing the people we associate with, and adopting new life habits are all a part of our success. Join us for the #BreakingTheTimeBank training to learn effective ways to manage the care demands for your loved one and keep your self care as priority while doing so.
You are as strong as your last battle. Each part of your journey serves you, both the good and the tough times.
- La Shawn Wilburn, Founder of HOMAGI
Here Is Why Your Caregiving journey
Doesn't Have To Be Hard
Determine
Understanding what your family's challenges are, knowing how you all feel about your new life, and what you are all capable of is one of the keys to your family's success.
Build Your Team
After identifying your needs you can start to build a more effective team. If you don't have a map how do you know where you are going?
Love is Flexible
Anyone can love us when we are lovable, it's when we are behaving in a way that is most unlovable that we need the most love. Love is too complex to be pressed into a box or our ideals of a perfect family relationship.
Take control of your Caregiving journey...
Register for the upcoming training session starting September 2017
Why Should You Have Family Caregiver Training?
Effective Conflict Management
Part of co-habitating with a loved one with mental illness is learning how the illness affects them. Knowing that bit of information helps you to devise a plan that helps everyone in the house adapt as comfortably as possible, while considering everyones emotional health.
Care Demand Management
What is required to accomodate your loved one? What are they capable on their own? Knowing what your loved one requires to have a successful recovery is a great place to start, in order to know how best to support them.
Include Self Care Management
You are your best assest. Staying healthy ensures you are able to care for your loved one the way you desire to. If your health is good you feel good, and with all we caregivers go through feeling good is sometimes a luxury. Creating time for us is important for a quality of our lives.
Testimonials
"I found you at just the right time.
I was about to give up on my marriage. Thank you."
- Family Caregiver, Loved one has Schizophrenia
"I get to take my breaks now.
My mother is much happier in her own home now. I picked her up today after the nurse left."
- Family Caregiver, Loved one has Depression & Agoraphobia
"I got your email...I did just like you said and it worked!"
- Family Caregiver, Loved one has Bipolar Disorder
"You helped me with things
my therapist hadn't even told me about."
- Survivor, PTSD
& Depression
