How Do You Coach a Caregiver to Seek Help From Friends?

Adding Friends to the Circle of Care

Friends of the careprovider need to be brought into the  family caregiver’s circle of care. The main caregiver often desperately needs respite from unremitting stress of caregiving. Encouraging the caregiver to use their friendship network to go out with friends to lunch and dinner, go to a movie, go away for a girl’s weekend, may take the GCM arranging respite with either paid or family caregivers. 

Encouraging caregivers to use a social network like facebook can help reconnect with old friends and classmates to have a way of feeling emotionally connected  This again can be a good GCM task. Caregiver support groups offer brand new friendships with others with the same issue of a needed breathing space. These new comrades in caring can bloom outside of the support group as well and buttress both caregivers.  

Encouraging the family caregiver to let friends know how to reach them and frankly  understand their caregiving situation, can help the caregiver build a circle of support. As caregiver’s often do not reach out for support, this takes real skills in  coaching by the GCM.

Family Caregiving Alliance supports a circle of care concept and can be another resource to encourage caregiver to reach out and ask for help.