When working with people as a caregiver, especially with senior citizens, we know one day when we have to say goodbye to those that were a part of our lives. Of course, this is easier to be said than done, because it doesn’t matter if you lose a loved one or a patient, the grief is as significant in both cases.
Being a caregiver not only means to provide professional healthcare services but also to connect with your patients and help them have a better life.
And when the one you care for with so much dedication passes away the pain is understandable. In the following lines, we will talk about healthy grieving from the position of a caregiver, with the mention that you should always seek professional counseling if you feel overwhelmed by such feelings.
If you work as a caregiver, you probably hear a lot that you need to behave as a professional, not to get too emotional or attached to your patients. Healthy grieving is hard at that time.
But, even caregivers are humans, when emotions and feelings are involved. It doesn’t matter if you are carrying for someone that is part of your family, or a client. So, when the inevitable is going to happen, you need to accept grief as a natural feeling. Yes, you are a caregiver, a true professional, but you are also a human, with feelings and you should allow yourself a grieving period.
A good method to protect your feelings as a caregiver is called healthy grieving.
It means to be aware, both you and the person you are taking care of, of the illness’s consequences. There’s no point in pretending everything is alright. Or living in the past where the disease was not present. What it most important is to be there for the patient and going through challenges together.
Experts say that it is healthy to make plans concerning the end of life, from an emotional point of view. Practically, you prepare your mind to accept the inevitable, so you won’t end up suffering so much. Denying the fact a person is dying is not going to help very much.
Active grieving is about making plans for the desired funeral and celebrations of life.
The whole idea is to make death and parting with this life a regular occurrence. It is something that no one can avoid, especially if you have a job in the healthcare industry.