By Yelena Sapin 
Handling the responsibility of caring for a loved one can be overwhelming and stressful — especially when it happens suddenly. These caregivers and experts share advice on how to stay positive through the tough times and prepare yourself for your role as a caregiver.
“When you’re caring for a loved one, it can be a slippery slope. You just keep sliding downhill and you don’t even recognize that you’re falling until you are flat on your back. Get help before you think you need it so you can stay mentally and physically healthy.”
— Becky Beanblossom, President Home Instead Senior Care
“Be ready to adjust your life around caregiving and rearrange your house for that person’s needs and handicaps. Get professional training before you bring them home if you’ll need to do any procedures, but don’t try to remember it — write it down. ‘Let go and let God’ is my motto.”
— Raegena McCage, caregiver
“Whatever happens, you have to have patience. When you’re caring for someone who’s sick, you have to realize that sometimes what they’re doing and saying is not them; it’s not their fault, it’s just something that happens. You can’t take it personally.”
— Carol Cockerel, caregiver
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