This week, Dave Balch tells us about the Catch-22s of of Being a Caregiver and the tough issues that confront adult children of aging relatives. Most of us understand what the phrase “catch-22″ means: it basically means a no-win situation. No matter what you choose, something bad will happen. That’s a Catch-22 (via wiki.answers.com).

Let’s look at the hard issues that can put a family caregiver in a catch-22 situation ( number of stressors that tear at you in different directions at once) :

• Dealing with insurance – health, home, car, Medicare, Rx
  Coordinating medical appointments
• Addressing your loved one’s needs
• Transportation is a huge issue
• Care for the home
• Earning a living
• and if you have children, they have big needs to meet

Handling all of these care requirements takes energy, skill, and time. These requirements often put you in the Catch-22 of tyring to handle it all. Mr. Balch reminds us, “That if you try hard to do just that, you will come to a point that you’re doing so much that you won’t have the time to do it, thereby reducing your effectiveness. In other words, the better you are, the less time you’ll have to be good at it.”

Mr. Balch goes on to say, “Taking care of yourself is another big problem for caregivers. The pressures are enormous and you need to take a break, even if it’s only for a little while. The Catch-22 is that the harder you work the more you need a break, and the less time you have to take one.”

Suggestions that Dave Balch gives us are:

• Awareness is the key, and you have to take action before you get to the Catch-22 situation
• If you are aware, being a good caregiver you do more, which leaves you less time to be a good caregiver
• This leads you to recognize when you approach the point when effectiveness is lost and either slow down a bit or get some help

Be alert to the Catch-22s which will help you, the caregiver, to avoid them.