In this month’s Care Partner Meetup, we talked about gratitude. After a few heavy and difficult discussions around depression, burnout, and resentment over the past few months, we thought it would be important to take some time to harvest positive thinking as we move into fall. While we don’t publish a recording of these monthly meetups because of the sensitive nature of the conversation, we do want to share some key takeaways so that even if you can’t join us live, you can still benefit from the expertise of our panelists and community members.
Show notes
- As a reminder, our ambassadors are one of the best resources the Davis Phinney Foundation offers. While some may think our ambassadors are only people with Parkinson’s, that’s not true. Many of our ambassadors are care partners, including both Pat and Gail, and they’d love to meet with you and help you on your Parkinson’s care partner journey. To connect with a care partner ambassador, click here.
- Be kind to yourself first. If you feel guilty for doing this, let it go. You must take time for yourself and leave the guilt behind. There will always be problems to solve, but you’re allowed to take care of yourself too.
- Every once in a while, reflect on your expectations for yourself and your person with Parkinson’s and consider looking at your person with Parkinson’s in a new way. For example, Connie talked about her hypervigilance when it comes to Davis. She sees him and his situation one way, but their son, who doesn’t see Davis often, doesn’t see him needing as much help as Connie does. Acknowledge your hypervigilance and give yourself some grace and credit for how amazing you’ve been doing as a care partner, but be open to changing your perspective as well.
- Give yourself grace for your pain. While others may see your person with Parkinson’s and think everything’s all fine and dandy (because your person with Parkinson’s will always present better in front of other people), don’t allow anyone to invalidate your pain.
- Don’t be afraid to let your person with Parkinson’s shine. Let them thrive when they are thriving. Don’t limit them because you know that their symptoms at home are different.
- And don’t be afraid to let yourself shine. You are a superhero, and you’re allowed to share that.
Additional Resources
Enjoy this month’s care partner meetup?
Join us next month on Tuesday, November 1 at 12 pm MDT. You can register here!