Caregiver Stress Inventory

Rate from 1-5 where 1= not true and 5= extremely true

___ I don’t sleep well enough.

___ I drink too much.

___ I need drugs to get through this.

___ I don’t exercise enough.

___ I don’t have time or energy for friendships.

___ Date? What’s a date? (Including w/spouse if you have one)

___ I worry too much.

___ I don’t have enough energy.

___ I sleep too much.

___ I don’t know anybody in a situation like mine.

___ Nobody could understand what my life is like.

___ I feel guilty about not giving enough attention to some family members.

___ I don’t have time or energy for a hobby.

___ I feel guilty if I do something for myself.

___ Sometimes I wish I or another family member were not here.

___ Frequent headaches or stomachaches my doctor can’t help with.

___ Sometimes I think I just don’t care anymore.

___ Nobody can care properly for my child besides me.

___ I have never had a vacation away from my special needs family member.

___ I feel hopeless sometimes.

___ None of the professionals know or understand what is going on.

___ I don’t have any professional support/treatment.

___ I have poor eating habits.

___ I don’t stay in bed when ill.

___ I don’t get medical checkups for myself when I should.

___ I worry about where I will get enough money for the future.

___ I am afraid of my child.

___ I am afraid I will hurt my child.

___ I used to have a strong faith but now I’m not so sure.

___ Other family or friends disapprove of the way I care for my child.

___ I always put others’ needs before my own.

See warning signs? Take action. Taking care of yourself puts you in a better place to care for those you love. Nobody knows what you need when better than you.

See also “How can a caregiver care for themselves” and get a downloadable word doc both of the stress inventory and what follows which you can reproduce at https://intensivecareforyou.com/resources-for-free/

How can a caregiver care for themselves?

Ask for help

Exercise

Yoga

Coronavirus Kid Care Kit– menu of offline at-home activities; creating structure to keep yourself and kids out of trouble, how to talk to kids in crisis by age group, managing behavior problems, screentime and video game management, 50% off courses and ebooks coupon using the word covid in coupon code at checkout. Courses overview.

Meditation  https://intensivecareforyou.com/resources-for-free/

Relaxation https://intensivecareforyou.com/resources-for-free/

Hobby

Time with friends

Building Confidence

Support group- Tx p2p

Counseling

Hobby

Watch out for thinking errors https://intensivecareforyou.com/resources-for-free/

(Patterns of thinking that keep you stuck or magnify a problem)

Get a pet

Set goals for you- dream book https://intensivecareforyou.com/dream-book-getting-clear-want-making-real-now/

Problem-solving

Eat better

Identify Obstacles

Examine and change your story

Journal

Take time to rest

Enerdrains and Energizers- Balance Your Power inventory what powers you up and down

Power in Adult-Child Relationships free mini-course

Let others take care of you

Let others take care of your child

Daily me time

Acceptance

Faith

Know what is stressful for you and take steps to manage:

-Take a step back and decide how big the problem really is

Do you spend more time actually confronted with the problem or more time and distress as you repeat the problem over and over in your mind?

Is the problem real, can you absolutely know for sure, or is it really just a story you tell yourself inside your head, or something in the future that has not happened that you fear and mistakenly think you know will happen?

Is the problem something you can change or influence, or is it beyond your control and better accepted?

Leave your ego out, allow others the freedom to follow their own path and learn their own lessons.

Place a check next to each statement below if you would like help in that area:

Someone to talk to about my problems.

Help in dealing with problems with husband/wife.

More time to be with my child.

Information about my child’s abilities.

Childcare help.

Help and information about behavior problems.

Better/more frequent therapy services for my child.

Counseling to help me cope with the situation and my caregiver stress.

More information about how I can help my child.

Help with sibling rivalry/jealousy of siblings.

More information about nutrition.

Special Equipment.

Friends who have a child like mine.

More time for myself.

More time to be with my spouse or friends.

Someone who understands what I am going through.

Help changing my mindset that:

-I’m stuck,

-Things will never change,

-My child won’t get better or live independently,

-Nobody can understand or help me.

What else would you like help with?

List of caregiver stress inventory helpful resources

For more help for yourself and your kids in times of crisis, I also recommend this book, Emotional First Aid for Children:

Who Says Men Don’t Care?
https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/life-balance/info-2017/hidden-male-caregiver.html

How To Be a Resilient Caregiver
http://lifework.arizona.edu/ec/caregiver_manual_now_available_online (link is external)

The Caregiver Helpbook: Powerful Tools for Caregivers
Schmall, V, Cleland, M, Sturdevant, M, , Legacy Health Systems.(2000)
www.powerfultoolsforcaregivers.org (link is external)

Passages in Caregiving
Sheehy, Gail, Harper Collins, 2010

Organizations

Family Caregiver Alliance
National Center on Caregiving
785 Market Street, Suite 750
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 434-3388
(800) 445-8106
Website: www.caregiver.org
E-mail: info@caregiver.org (link sends e-mail)

Autism Speaks

Autism Society of America

Autismlink

CHADD for ADHD support groups

NAMI for Bipolar and mental health support groups

Care.com lists people who can care for special needs children or seniors in your area

Bluebonnet Trails MHMR

CRCG- in Texas each county provides a community resource coordination group, which provides staffings of local agencies to help determine needs, problem solve, and connect with resources for families caring for children with intense behavioral health needs