Ask the health system treating your loved one whether it offers caregiver specialists, social workers, counseling, or support groups. Local and condition-specific organizations may also provide respite care, meal delivery, transportation, or in-home assistance.
Support groups can be particularly useful because “everybody gets it,” Mariani says. Caregivers can trade practical advice without having to explain why an outsider-supplied solution won’t work.
If researching resources feels like one responsibility too many, hand that job to someone who keeps asking how they can help: “Find out what caregiver support is available through Mom’s hospital, and send me the three best options.”
Accepting help ultimately benefited both Ryan and her husband. He was highly social, and when friends stopped by, he got more company and stimulation. Ryan, meanwhile, stopped reflexively turning everyone away.
“I went from, No, I got this, to yes,” she says. “People wanted to lean in. They wanted to help. I got out of my own way.”
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