Caregiver Survival Guide: Care Without Losing Yourself

Caring for someone you love can consume your life. Learn practical ways to protect your energy, identity, and well-being while caregiving. Caring for someone with dementia can slowly become an around-the-clock responsibility. Somewhere between appointments, medications, meals, changing needs, and worrying about what comes next, caregivers can begin to lose sight of themselves. In this session of BCN Presents: Navigating Dementia, we'll talk honestly about the emotional and practical demands of caregiving—and why caring for yourself isn't selfish or something that has to wait until you have more time. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of caregiver stress and burnout, set realistic boundaries, ask for and accept help, protect small pieces of personal time, and find practical ways to care for their own needs while continuing to care for someone they love. This isn't about adding another list of things you "should" be doing. It's about finding realistic ways to make caregiving more sustainable while remembering that you are still a person outside of your role as a caregiver. You'll leave with practical strategies, encouragement, and permission to make room for yourself in the caregiving journey. Presented by Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) as part of the Navigating Dementia community education series.