Partner with disability

[WorkingOnBeingOkay]

Hi everyone, 

so my partner of 2 years has a intellectual disability. I love her to bits. 

sometimes I get frustrated, as she needs hearing aids, but hasn’t got them from NDIS yet. 

I work in disability and am currently working on a Cert 4 in Community services and Diploma of CS next year. 

the topics have been quite sensitive and that has been making me be more moody. I have seen a psychiatrist or psychologist this week.  

her current support workers aren’t the best. And I’ve just found out she hasn’t been taking her depression medication for the last few weeks. 

are there any peer support groups I can contact to help, when I feel like it’s getting too much? 

[smallwolf]

hello and welcome.

Firstly ... Sorry that it has been a while for you to get a reply.

It's wonderful that you care so deeply for your partner and are trying your best to support her needs. However, it's also understandable that you feel frustrated and overwhelmed at times as her caregiver. I can imagine that it can be taxing, especially when support systems are lacking.

Remember that your feelings are valid, and seeking help does not make you any less of a loving partner. As far as support groups are concerned, you might want todo a google search for

local support groups for partners of people with depression

and check out what comes up in the results. There is also this page on the forums ...

https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/supporting-family-and-friends/are-you-supporting-a-depressed-par...

Most importantly, don't forget to take care of yourself as well. You deserve support just as much as your partner does. Stay strong - you are doing great work but no one can handle the role of caregiver alone. There are people and groups who can help lift the burden with you. Wishing you the best.

And if you wanted to talk about any part of what you wrote, or anything else, I'm listening.

[therising]

Hi WorkingOnBeingOkay

I'm wondering whether any of the facilitators of the Community Services course could offer any resources. If so, this could be a 2 birds with one stone scenario, 1)you'd be guided towards a variety of resources and 2)you could trial them in order to see how effective they actually are (in the way of recommendations to others, based on personal experience).

I think only live in carers of others (in one capacity or another) don't necessarily realise the amount of emotion and skill involved in strategically caring for others until desperately needing a whole number of skills. From the skills in the way of self care to the skills involved in how to feel for themself in really constructive ways, there can be so many. For you to be so invested in the care industry, wanting to make a positive difference in the community, I imagine you may be a sensitive/feeling person. Sensitive people have the incredible ability to sense the needs of others, the emotions of others, the vision needed in order to guide others and so much more. A lot of the time they can be so incredibly well tapped into everyone's needs and emotions but their own.

I heard someone once say 'Emotion is energy in motion that we can physically feel in our body'. From the energy (or lacking) that feels like exhaustion through to the kind of energy that has the feel of frustration to it, it can be such a major challenge in life to be such a deeply feeling and caring person. The light for others always needs their own power source for generating such warmth and light. Take good care of you.