How Caregiving Can Change Your Personality
There’s no getting around it: being a family caregiver is bound to impact how you think and who you are as a person. Taking on this high-stress role that is both physically and mentally demanding can be transformative, especially when you consider that the average duration of caregiving is 4.5 years.
Some members of the Caregiver Forum worry that their personality changes are largely negative. Certainly, stress, exhaustion and overwhelming responsibilities can take a serious toll on one’s physical and mental health. Caregiver burnout is notorious for sneaking up on even the most organized and level-headed individual. But, if you learn to manage caregiver burden instead of letting it consume you, the risk of developing lasting negative traits like anxiety, depression and agitation is greatly reduced.
In fact, many proactive caregivers notice that they’ve developed some beneficial attributes and coping methods thanks to their experiences in elder care. How your personality might change throughout this journey depends, of course, on your unique attitude, your openness to change, the feelings you have for the person you are caring for, and the state of your own physical and mental health.
How Caregiving Affects Different Personality Types
The following examples illustrate how certain personality types can be transformed, both negatively and positively, by caregiving.
The Take-Charge Personality: For people who instinctively seek control in most situations, caregiving can either turn them into frustrated tyrants or help them mellow out. It can be very easy to adopt a “do as I say” approach to communicating with aging parents or an ailing spouse. Even if your loved one still has their faculties, it’s usually less…
Continue reading on AgingCare for more about how caregiving can change our personalities:
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“An inspiring read for caregivers! Minding Our Elders is a series of stories about caregiving. But it is much more than that. It’s a book that helps us view aging and community through the lens of someone well versed in eldercare. Author Carol Bradley Bursack has been a caregiver for a neighbor and six elderly members of her family. These experiences made her the perfect person to interview and share the stories of friends and acquaintances. Through crisp writing and a sharp focus, we enter the lives of those struggling to care for loved ones with dementia and other age-related illnesses. As I read Minding Our Elders, I felt myself filling up with both appreciation and admiration for those who adopt the caregiving role. In addition, I was struck with the inherent value Carol sees in our elders. This is a well-written book that will stir your heart!” …Ann C
