Your Health
Quite naturally, when someone develops MS, our attention turns first and foremost to maintaining their health. However it is vital that, as a carer, you look after your own health too.
Good health includes physical and emotional well-being, including the need for privacy, for personal space, and time to socialise. As the saying goes 'prevention is better than the cure', so by looking after yourself you will hopefully feel better and more able to cope with any caring responsibilities you might have.
Looking after your back
If you are lifting the person you care for, you may be in danger of hurting your back - you may have back pain already.BackCare, the charity for healthier backs, aims to help avoid preventable back pain. Click on the above link to find out more.
Sharing Experiences
Talking with others in similar circumstances helps in a number of ways. You can let off steam about current problems, or learn about how others have dealt with similar situations. It often helps to reduce feelings of isolation too.If you can't find time to meet up, why not try our Carers discussion board - a mine of information on all things related to caring for someone with MS, provided by people doing just that.
If you are a teenager and are feeling stressed about your situation, or would simply like to link up with other teenagers who have a family member with MS, why not try Youngcarers.net a site aimed at teenagers with caring responsibilities, with discussion boards and web chat opportunities.
