Crash course in anger management

One of the things that I have discovered about being a full-time caregiver is that you need to be able to manage anger. You have to be able to defuse a volatile outburst in the care recipient that is angry at not being able to do the things that they once could and you need to be able to temper your own anger when frustration reaches a point somewhere well beyond boiling.

You also have to be able to weather the storm when something annoys or discomforts the care recipient and they want someone to take things out on.

My dad has a small sore inside his mouth and it has had him irritable for the past day and a half. Today the shoulder of his paralyzed arm was uncomfortable. Since I was the only one that was home, I naturally became the chosen target of his irritability.

I won't go into details, but trust me when I say that by the time it was over I just wanted to lock myself in my bedroom and cry and he was still growling about everything he could think of.

I'm not sure just how to deal with things like that other than to just do my best to provide assistance in easing the pain without getting my head taken off and without losing my own temper.