FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Vicki Anderson and her husband, Bob, had been married for 41 years.<\/p>\n
Just last year, her husband passed away.<\/p>\n
In 2018, Bob was diagnosed with dementia.<\/p>\n
“It’s really difficult to see your loved one change and require more care as time goes on,” Vicki said.<\/p>\n
Over the last several years, Vicki looked after her him.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, it wasn’t easy. She was balancing work and caring for her husband.<\/p>\n
“My goal throughout the process was to keep him home, keep him safe, keep him happy,” she said.<\/p>\n
Being a caregiver is a unique role.<\/p>\n
While it can be rewarding to look after a loved one, it can also be challenging and sometimes lonely.<\/p>\n
Doctors say it can also lead to what’s known as “caregiver guilt.”<\/p>\n
“Am I doing something wrong or I’m not doing enough,” says Dr. Amit Saini, a geriatric specialist with Kaiser Permanente Fresno. “What that does is it creates a numbness, or I would hold off to my pain and suffering even more until it becomes unbearable, and then the stress start to exude out.”<\/p>\n
Dr. Saini says that support groups can help ease the loneliness that caregivers can go through.<\/p>\n
For Vicki, she found support, comfort and relief at Valley Caregiver Resource Center’s OASIS Adult Day Program and its support groups.<\/p>\n
Her husband also found joy in coming to the center.<\/p>\n
“That kept me from having to have someone else to be there 24 hours a day, and even more so than that, it gave him purpose and socialization,” Vicki said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Saini adds creating a plan of when to take breaks can also be a benefit.<\/p>\n
“I can have a friend provide care for my loved one for three to four hours where I can take a break,” Dr. Saini said.<\/p>\n
Recognizing the signs of burnout, whether it’s physical or mental, is also just as important.<\/p>\n
“As a caregiver, I must attend to my good health so that I have enough strength to give,” Dr. Saini said. “If I don’t have strength to give, how will I? That is the mindset we need to have.”<\/p>\n
For news updates, follow Ana Torrea on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>. Copyright \u00a9 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n
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