Caregiver Support: Survival Tips for Caring for Elderly Parents

by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Christiane Northrup, M.D., is a visionary pioneer and a leading authority in the field of women’s health and wellness. Recognizing the unity of body, mind, and spirit, she empowers women to trust their inner wisdom, their connection with Source, and their ability to truly flourish.

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  1. JULIE
    7 years ago

    I have just discovered you and your wealth of knowledge and advise. I have been dealing with my husband 63 who has Parkinson’s and dementia. (I am 53). Also dealing with my son who has had drug and alcohol problems and me with hormonal issues. I thought I was dealing with everything as well as I could, using exercise as my foundation, but soon discovered it was not enough. My body started to rebel from not dealing with the emotional stress with a strange auto-immune disease called Granuloma Annulare. This is basically where I get severe rashes all over my body and nothing gets rid of them accept shots of cortisone. My nervous system goes crazy including panic attacks, jumpiness, hypersensitivity, and very emotional. My normal persona is very stoic, non emotional, non verbal. Reading your book on “Making Life easy” has been great for me to get in touch with my self, my emotions, my dreams, my signs from my inner source. I plan on reading your other books after I finish this one. Thank you!

  2. Christine Satava
    7 years ago

    Your words have always touched me! You are the present I have given to many women along the way . Thank you for your commitment and life of caring for and guiding women and therefore men and children towards understanding and caring for their bodies minds and spirits. Your family is lovely and I have so enjoyed your Days of Grateful @Instagram this year! Christine

  3. Elizabeth
    7 years ago

    Thankyou Dr. Christine, I was carer, I helped my mother with my father, my mum would look after my dad,through the day, and I would do through the night my dad, had Demencia, he also turned night into day, when he used to do things,like put milk into the milo tin, put his hand in and grab a big piece of cake then say he was not doing anything when asked, I would just laugh other wise it could upset us at what was happening to him.My advice to anybody who is a carer, to parents with Demencia, is to seek out as much help as possible, there is a lot of help,you just have to ask and that’s ok, not to feel guilty for asking,also take each day as it comes and take your parent in the now,not how they used to be. Best Wishes and Kind Regards Elizabeth.

  4. Brenda Siemer
    7 years ago

    Dear Christiane,

    YES on your essential caregiving advise….. I was a student of Alzheimer’s disease and its 16 year affects on my mother. I was only 25 when I began to care for her with my older sister. I knew that I had all the energy and love in the world to get this job done, right. After all, hadn’t she spent 25 years caring for me? This is such a standard statement of caregivers that it still causes me to melt when I hear it…. But the long term answer is that you cannot go it alone.

    The beauty of those 16 years with Ellamae made it crystal clear to me that her greatest joy came from MY success in varied careers. The final door of death was not on our mutual radar. I , we, had to live one day at a time. And so I asked for guidance from the universe in my caregiving. And guess what , it came. Miracles happened, I found help mates, she reflected within and I prayed for continuing Love in spite of losing verbal communications. Then we sat.
    I fulfilled my own needs, and gave myself enough time for a new appreciation of the true value of being alive, and sharing the time that I could with her.

    Perhaps my greatest take away from those years is the quietness and power of simply baring witness to my mom’s process. There was so much space for emotion, gratitude and love. There comes a day when there is nothing to DO. But there is touch and observation. Allow.
    Blessings to all of you who are facing these life’s changes…

  5. Dianna
    7 years ago

    Just what I needed to hear at this crippling time.

  6. Rosalba
    7 years ago

    I have followed your advice for health for women for the past 20 years.
    I am grateful for your presence on the planet at this point in time.

  7. Donna
    7 years ago

    Your my go to expert for over 30 years, I adore you! Thank you thank you thank you

  8. Robyn Field
    7 years ago

    So beautifully said. I have worked as a massage therapist for the last 22 years. I often used to hear people say it was a luxury to have a session. I teach my clients to set up a “regular” session for themselves whether its once a week, once every other week or once a month so that their body has something to look forward to and doesn’t need to be in a state of depletion to receive. That way they are not reaching for nurturance from a state of depletion. Its also important to take care of ones self so that we not reach that depleted state in order to feel the nurturance is deserved. It surprises me that to many, this is a very new idea.

  9. Evelyn Hammon
    7 years ago

    Thank you Dr. Christine, this video has really helped me as I am a single-parent raising teenagers and taking care of my elderly mother . I would like to somehow save this video so I can watch it when she passes away because I’ve known I will feel gilt.
    I believe that one has to take good care of themselves before they can be of any benefit to others. So I do that and I think I’m able to balance my workload pretty well. Thanks again, Evelyn

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