CHRISTINE M. VALENTíN

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
    • Individual Play Therapy
    • Family Play Therapy
    • Adult Therapy
    • Parent Support Group
    • Video Counseling
  • Location & Hours
  • Fees & Insurance
  • Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Practices Notice
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
    • Individual Play Therapy
    • Family Play Therapy
    • Adult Therapy
    • Parent Support Group
    • Video Counseling
  • Location & Hours
  • Fees & Insurance
  • Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Practices Notice

Guest Blog Post: How Can Young Caregivers Self-Advocate ?

4/18/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A few posts ago, I discussed challenges young caregivers face as well as ways they can balance their personal life with caregiving. In response to those posts, I was contacted by Feylyn Lewis, a PhD Social Work Candidate and caregiver herself, who is currently doing her doctoral research on young adult caregivers residing in the UK and the US. As a result of her research, she offered some insight on how young adult caregivers can self-advocate so as to decrease the stress that often accompanies being a caregiver. Below are her suggestions:
                                               
                                                 Self-Advocacy Tips for Young Caregivers
                                                                       by Feylyn Lewis

 
In the United States, there are an estimated 1.4 million caregiving youth (children under the age of 18), and nearly 10 million Millennial caregivers (aged 18-34 years old). Of the millions of young caregivers, I believe every single one is an advocate. Advocacy means that you speak up for another person’s needs, views, and try to help them get support. As caregivers, advocacy is a way of life. You may speak to health or social care professionals on behalf of your family member, coordinate service care delivery, oversee your family member’s medication administration, and manage your family’s household. You are the expert on your family member’s care.
 
While you are well-versed in advocating for your family, you may find speaking up for yourself more difficult to do. As a young caregiver, self-advocacy can present its own set of unique challenges.
 
                                           What are barriers to self-advocacy?

Lack of awareness in society & unsupportive environments: Unfortunately, many people do not yet recognize the vital role young caregivers play in our society. This lack of awareness often means that people do not understand your caring role and how it can impact all parts of your life. Society also tends to overlook and disregard the experiences of young people with caregiving responsibilities, and health professionals may not view you as a “caregiver” because of your youth.

Fear of mistreatment & associated stigma: You may stay quiet about your caring role because you don’t want well-intentioned professors, bosses, or friends to worry over you and treat you differently than everyone else. At work, your supervisor or co-workers may not understand your life as a caregiver, and you may might fear losing your job. If you provide care for someone with a socially stigmatized condition, e.g., mental illness, visible physical disabilities, or HIV-AIDS, you may fear that by speaking out as a caregiver, you will also “out” the condition of the person you care for. 

No support available: In some situations, those around may already know that something is “up”, because of late or missed days at school or work. Conversely, you may be very open about caregiving. In such scenarios, people are aware of your caring role, but you find that there is little or no support available to you as a young caregiver. Supportive services may be directed towards your family member, rather than you, the caregiver.  

                                       
                                             What are ways to self-advocate?

Despite its challenges, the act of speaking up for yourself is impactful and meaningful. Every time you engage in self-advocacy, you continue to spread awareness about young caregivers. Even in the seemingly small moments, your words and actions demonstrate to society that young caregivers exist and matter. 
 

Express your needs and desires within your family: To combat potential feelings of resentment, it is important to keep the lines of communication open in your family.  You may want to engage in family group conferences to discuss current and future care plans. If you foresee sharing or shifting caregiving tasks to younger siblings, you’ll want to discuss with them the practicalities of the caring role and what this will mean for everyone in the family.

Inform doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals that you are a critical participant in your family member’s care, and express your desire to be involved in discussions.

Tell professors, administrators, work supervisors, and friends about your caring role and the ways it impacts your life. This may mean requesting a “grace period” to submit assignments, asking for flexible schedules and work hours, requesting to keep your cell phone turned on and kept with you, in case your family member needs to reach you in an emergency, etc. Self-advocacy in the workplace also means knowing your legal rights, so that you may be aware of potential issues of workplace discrimination.

Ask for help: Seek out extended family members, neighbors, or friends to help with caregiving tasks, or to give you a bit of respite. You may also wish to contact supportive organizations for help. 

Monitor your own mental health and well-being: Take breaks (even just for a few minutes), practice self-care, exercise, and maintain a healthy diet. Keep up to date with your own doctor’s appointments and annual tests. You may wish to attend support groups and/or seek out a mental health professional if needed.

Get involved: Call or write your government representatives and vote. Use technology and social media to your advantage: there are several online caregiver support groups on Facebook and Twitter, and they can be a great way to meet other caregivers, ask advice, or vent! You could start a blog about your experience as a young caregiver or post videos to YouTube. You may also want to share your caregiving story through participation in caregiver research studies; this can be an impactful way to help other caregivers on a wider scale!  

Remain encouraged as you seek to advocate for yourself. You serve an irreplaceable role in our society and you deserve recognition and support!

Can you think of other ways to self-advocate? How have you advocated for yourself and did you find it helpful? Please share your comments/suggestions below. 

Picture
Feylyn M. Lewis, M.A., NCC,  a PhD Social Work Candidate at the School of Social Policy at The University of Birmingham, has been a caregiver to her mother for 18 years, since the age of 11 years old. Having experienced being a young caregiver, her devotion to improving the lives of young caregivers inspired her to move in England in 2013 to pursue her PhD under the supervision of Professor Saul Becker, world-renown research in the field of child and young adult caregivers. Her doctoral research focuses on the identity development of young adult caregivers living in the United Kingdom and United States. While completing my doctoral research, she remains committed to raising the profile of young caregivers through blog writing, podcasts, and speaking engagements around the world. You can connect with her via Twitter (@FeylynLewis) and at the Huffington Post. 
 


0 Comments
    Picture

    Christine M. Valentín

    Welcome to my ​blog where I provide tips on learning how to connect with your child and how to feel more in control of your parenting journey.

    Subscribe to Christine's Free Monthly Blog and Newsletter
    Sign Me Up!

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    Am I Suffering From Anxiety?
    Anxiety
    Anxiety Related To Relationships
    Arguing
    Articulate
    Avoidance
    Being Disliked
    Bonding With My Child
    Burnout
    Caring What Others Think
    Change And Commitment
    Changes In Routine
    Communication
    Compromise
    Confidence
    Confrontation
    Depression
    Disorder
    Emotions
    Fear
    Getting Help
    Helping Someone Who Is Depressed
    Help With My Relationship
    Holiday Anxiety
    Holiday Depression
    Improving Success
    Indecision
    Lack Of Confidence
    Lack Of Support
    Levels Of Anxiety
    Love
    Low Self Esteem
    Low Self-Esteem
    Manage Stress
    Mental Evaluation
    Negative Reactions
    New Year's Resolution
    Panic Attacks
    Panic Disorder
    Parenting
    Playing Games With Children
    Psychological Evaluation
    Relationships
    Respect
    Seeking Therapy
    Self Doubt
    Self-doubt
    Successful Relationships
    Therapy
    Trial And Error
    Trouble Sleeping
    What Is Anxiety?
    What Is Depression
    Worried About My Loved One

    RSS Feed

This Site is not intended to provide psychotherapy advice. The Site is intended only for use by individuals in search of general information of interest pertaining to anxiety, depression and related topics. Content is not intended to replace or serve as substitute for professional consultation or service. Contained observations and opinions should not be misconstrued as specific counseling advice.
Photos used under Creative Commons from soekfoto, Thales, Pawel Pacholec, lisabirtch, Mickey JT, Muffet, apparena, aresauburn™, Minette Layne, die.tine, A Gude, stephcarter, Kathy McGraw, srqpix, sun sand & sea, photogirl7.1, W J (Bill) Harrison, srluke, catlovers