Caring Goals for 2026: Making Care a Little Easier on You

If you are reading this, chances are you spent a lot of 2025 caring for someone you love who is living with dementia. That is not a small thing. You may not always feel it, but you have already done so much.

As a new year begins, it can feel like you are supposed to come up with a big list of resolutions or completely reinvent your routines. Most caregivers do not need a bigger to do list. What usually helps more are a few kind, realistic goals that make life a little easier, keep your loved one safe and connected, and give you a bit more breathing room.

You are not starting from scratch. You are building on the care you are already giving. Think of these ideas as options, not obligations. Even if one of them sticks, that is a win.

1. See your own well being as part of their care plan

Caregivers are often told, “Take care of yourself.” That can feel like one more thing you are not doing well enough. Instead of hearing it as another demand, try seeing your own well being as part of your loved one’s care plan.

Your health and your loved one’s health are connected. When you are completely exhausted, in pain, or burned out, it is much harder to show up in the way you want to. In 2026, you might let yourself be a bit more honest about how you are really doing. That could mean telling your doctor that you are a caregiver and describing the stress you are under. It might mean keeping a routine appointment you would usually cancel, or simply pausing once a week to check in with yourself and notice what you need.

Caring for yourself is not a luxury or an extra credit assignment. It is one of the ways you keep your loved one safe.

2. Protect a pocket of time for yourself each week

Many caregivers dream of having an afternoon off, a day to themselves, or a real vacation. Those bigger breaks are wonderful if and when they become possible. The reality is that caregiving often makes those bigger breaks hard to schedule. Waiting for the perfect chunk of time can mean you never get a break at all.

This year, try to protect a pocket of time that belongs to you. It does not need to be long or dramatic. It might be a quiet cup of tea where you do not multitask, a short walk outside, a few minutes sitting on the couch with music or a podcast, or a shower where you are not rushing and listening for every sound. The important part is that, for that pocket of time, you are not “on duty” in your mind.

You might put it on your calendar, or ask someone you trust to cover you. You might simply tell yourself, “For these ten minutes, it is okay to let go.” Nothing in caregiving is ever fully “done.” You are allowed to step away, even briefly, and still be a devoted caregiver.

3. Keep one hobby or interest alive

Caregiving can slowly push your own interests to the edges of your life. The things that make you feel like yourself often slip away first. Over time, it can start to feel like you are only a caregiver and nothing else.

In 2026, try not to let your hobbies and interests be completely squeezed out. They help keep you, you, and that is important not just for your own well being, but also for your ability to be an effective caregiver. When some part of your identity outside of caregiving is still alive, it can give you more strength and perspective.

You do not need hours and hours to make this happen. You might return to something you used to enjoy in a smaller way, like reading a few pages of a book, picking up some knitting, tending to a plant, messing around with photos on your phone, or watching a show you genuinely like instead of whatever happens to be on. You do not have to finish anything or be consistent. The goal is simply to stay in touch with yourself.

4. Let tools and resources carry some of the weight

Caregivers often feel like they have to hold everything in their heads: appointments, medications, moods, reactions, paperwork, every small change they notice. That mental load is huge, even if no one else can see it.

This year, consider whether there are tools or resources that can carry a bit of that weight for you. You might use the Lizzy Care app’s Feed to share updates or questions instead of repeating the same story to each person separately. You might store important documents in one place, so you are not scrambling when someone asks for a medication list or legal form.  The Lizzy Care web portal now even has a document manager, ask your navigator how to make use of that. You might decide that, when respite is available, you will say yes instead of automatically saying, “I will handle it.”

You do not have to use every possible tool or feature. The goal is to find one or two supports that genuinely make your days run a little smoother, so you are not doing quite so much alone.

5. Look for meaningful moments, not just completed tasks

Most caregiving days are packed with tasks: medications, meals, bathing, appointments, transportation, forms, coordination. It is easy to reach the end of the day and see only what did not get done or what felt hard.

In 2026, you might try to let meaningful moments “count” as part of the day’s success. That could be a small shared laugh over something silly, a moment when your loved one seemed calm and at ease, a walk that went more smoothly than usual, or even a brief moment of connection where you feel like you see the person you love rather than just their illness.

If it feels helpful, you can make a quiet habit of noticing one moment like this each week. You might mentally file it away before you go to sleep, or jot a quick note in your phone or in the Lizzy Care Feed. These moments do not cancel out the hard parts, but they are real, and it matters that you let yourself see them.

6. Ask for help a little earlier than you usually would

Most caregivers wait until they are completely exhausted before asking for help. It is understandable. You want to be reliable. You do not want to burden others. You may have had experiences where asking for help did not go well.

A caring goal for this year might be to ask for help just a bit sooner than you normally would. That might mean reaching out to a family member before you reach a breaking point, letting a friend know that you really do need someone to check in on you, or telling your Lizzy Care team that things are starting to feel heavy rather than waiting until you are overwhelmed.

Asking for help is not a sign that you are failing. It is a sign that you are taking your role seriously and trying to make it sustainable.

How Lizzy Care can support your goals

You do not need to tackle all of these ideas, and you definitely do not have to tackle them alone.

The Lizzy Care team can help you think through what feels realistic in your situation and can use the app and Care Feed to make it easier to keep everyone in the loop. If you are eligible for Medicare’s GUIDE benefit, Lizzy Care can also support you with navigation, coaching, and respite that are fully covered.

Whatever you decide to focus on in 2026, remember: you are already doing so much. You do not have to be perfect to be a good caregiver. If even one small shift makes life a little easier for you and your loved one this year, that is success. And if you are not sure where to start, your Lizzy Care team is here to walk through it with you.