Whether you are caring for an older parent, A small child, A friend, or an ailing spouse, The strategies in this program work for all caregivers.

In order to move forward and make plans for the future, you first need to be able to cope with the situations present in your day-to-day life. First and foremost it is essential to feel confident that both you and the medical professionals advising you are on the same page.  Caring for another changes many aspects of what you thought your future life would look like. Plans you may have been working towards for years, are suddenly at risk of upheaval so it is imperative you give yourself every chance to make your job easier.

The uncertainty you may be feeling, especially in the early days, can lead to taking advice without question. You may find yourself leaving a consultation without really hearing what was being said, being skeptical about what was said, or straight out ignoring words of advice.

Remember these words. They form the basis of everything you need to know.

This lesson will help you to begin building a team of advisers you have confidence in.

Before you can embark on setting goals for the future, you need to have the desired goal, a plan of action, and the ability to do the study or gain the experience to reach the level required to fulfill that goal.

When you are thrust into the role of carer for another, your goal setting must take into account way more variables than would need to be considered if you were only responsible for yourself. No longer can you make decisions based on your own wants and needs. You are now considering someone else and yourself, and often, especially if a parent, you may be compelled to consider that person to the exclusion of all else. Such exclusionary thinking is a trap that will come back to cause you grief in the ensuing years. As carers, we really need to consider how our role affects absolutely everyone around us.

When we find ourselves caring for another it is almost tempting to leave any goal-setting, future planning, and decision-making in the hands of people we barely know. Instead of becoming stronger and more informed, many long-term carers become accommodating and reticent, left to constantly second guess what they are told, and put aside their own gut feelings. What can seem like the easier path, letting others take control of decisions, eventually shows itself to be the most negatively impactful path, for both you and your charge. 

If you begin your journey with confidence in the diagnosis, the prognosis, and the therapy being considered, you have a good starting point to enable you to have input and constructive discussions about the future direction of the one you are caring for. A future that will have a very definite impact on your own.

The topics we will discuss in this module will give you the tools to -:

• Satisfy yourself that your future team of support people are all on the same page.
• Embrace your role in the decision-making process.
• Feel confident in your ability to access the supports you require.

This course will move through easy tasks to build awareness and give you the tools to create a plan of action relevant to your needs and unique to you and your loved one.  When you fill in the workbook you will have a reference of information you can refer to on a regular basis as well as a log of information you can use when applying for funding programs you may need to use in the future.