Are You Caring Too Much? Tips on Ending Helplessness and Boredom in Caregiving


Home care for individuals is about more than specific physical and medical needs. Each person has their own interests, preferences and personality that also need to be tended to by family, friends and even professional caregivers. The Eden Alternative® principles are helping caregiving experts and family caregivers look with new eyes at the people they help.

“In Eden Alternative philosophy, we define care as helping another grow,” said Laura Beck, Learning and Development Guide for the Eden Alternative®, a non-profit organization that provides education and consultation for organizations across the continuum of care. “From our perspective, the tendency out there is that care is treatment alone. The truth is, we all require care all the time and may not require treatment all of the time.”

The Eden Alternative® has a principle-based philosophy with a goal of eliminating loneliness, boredom and helplessness, which it calls the three caregiver “plagues” that account for suffering among the elder population. The antidote for these plagues is found in their principles of person-direct care:

· The antidote for loneliness is loving companionship

· The antidote for helplessness is to create the opportunity to give as well as receive care

· The antidote for boredom is to imbue life with variety and spontaneity


https://www.homewatchcaregivers.com/bergen-county/