HealthLinks Charleston March/April 2023

www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com | 63 “We get calls every day from loved ones – from burned out daughters and sons who are doing an amazing job of caring for their parents,” said Anne Marie Long, CEO of Senior Resource Specialists. “They will say that they are snapping at their mom, and they don’t want to but they are so tired.” “It is no wonder they are exhausted,” Long added. “Caregivers in hospitals and community living places work in shifts. Many sons, daughters, parents and friends are working 24-hour shifts nonstop as they care for a loved one.” Long and her husband, Joshua, opened Senior Resource Specialists in October 2022 to help seniors and caregivers connect with any resource they need – a financial advisor, a realtor or veteran resources, to name a few. “Caregivers and spouses have this admirable sense of duty; they feel bad about leaving,” said Long. “But they need to take breaks. Otherwise, as they remain the sole caregiver, they lose their relationship with their spouse or a mom. They are seen primarily as ‘the caregiver.’” A caregiver taking a break is no different than parents hiring a babysitter so they can go out and relax, Long noted.

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