 | Kevin Knaup received his Kansas Adult Care Home Administrator's license in 1983 and is the Administrator and part owner of Sunset Manor, Inc. in Frontenac, KS. He has been employed at Sunset Manor for 31 years. He is a member of Kansas Health Care Association and Kansas Adult Care Executives. He has served on various local and state committees for education and training in the Adult Care home field. |
Senior Living
2012-01-26 15:49:47
Overcoming the fear factor
A: First, understand that most people experience fear in dealing with care giving. I would be lying if I said that I do not feel fear when dealing with any new challenge to a loved one’s health and well-being, and so would anyone else if they said it. In many cases, it makes sense to feel fear. I would never advise people to ignore their fears or hide from them, rather understand that some fear is useful and unhealthy fear can be overcome with knowledge and support.
Have you ever wondered what a pilot feels before taking a mass of metal safely into the air? I guarantee you that before they took the controls for the first time, they were plenty scared. The thing that helped them was the knowledge that they could deal with most anything that was thrown at them since they had hundreds of hours of practice before entering the cockpit of a plane loaded with passengers. Knowledge helps create sense of fearlessness—not a lack of fear, but a better understanding of the issues they may be facing when flying a plane.
As a family caregiver, you unfortunately do not always have that luxury of advanced preparation; our battle generally starts with a phone call in the middle of the night or a diagnostic visit to the doctor’s office. What you do have is the fact that there are so many other family and professional caregivers who each possess one small piece of the puzzle you need as a family caregiver. All you need to do is put those pieces in place by getting help and getting informed.
The best thing to do is dive in to your resources and become acutely aware of topics on aging and care giving. Join forums, support groups and research online. One of the best ways to overcome the fear is to become an advocate.
Fearless care giving is informed care giving and it is a process, not a destination. Once you are on your way, you will recognize how to use fear as a motivator, as opposed to a roadblock, to help find the answers and solutions you need as you care for your loved one.
