Caregiver - take care of yourself!
♥ I can help you from being exhausted to thrive ♥
I believe that EVERY caregiver on earth can have a happy and healthy life despite caring for someone with dementia.
I am an integrative general practitioner, bestselling author, international speaker, health & lifestyle coach, and teacher and former location manager of the caregiving organization ZorgMies Maastricht.
I understand first-hand the stresses we face daily navigating the healthcare system (yes, even as an MD!), community, and education systems.
Caregiving can be an incredibly heavy and isolating experience regardless of your perspective. As a teenager, I was a caregiver for my mum, and I saw my family struggling to care for 2 grannies with Alzheimer's disease.
Stemming from many moments of trying to stay inspired, remain positive, be the best version of yourself, and make decisions with love rather than fear, I began advocating for caregivers and those with dementia.
As your caregiver coach, I am here to guide you through your ups and downs, empower you to manoeuvre the system, help you engage with medical professionals with confidence, help you find the positives anywhere you can, and help you raise your energy level and lower your stress and/or anxiety level and help you find time for yourself without guilt. I will inspire you to embrace the life you have been chosen for and create the one for which you want to live.
My mission is to empower 100.000 caregivers worldwide to achieve a healthier and happier life and reduce the risk of dementia by 80% by 2050
What you should know about me
😘 I don't like injustice. When someone is wronged, I can really bounce. I always say: stay curious and don't just assume things.
👜 I walk my talk. I always find it challenging to learn something from someone who does not know what they are talking about in practice. I have lived through all the knowledge I pass on myself.
🔥 Yes, it is possible! I know combining all your ambitions and caregiving with enough time for yourself and your family is hard. But I know it's possible; I know how it's possible. So yes, it is possible!
💗 I love pink and glitter and sprinkle it everywhere. And I (almost) always wear a smile. It affects everyone, including yourself.
Why me?
I was a caregiver for my mother when I was a teenager. My mother had a rare form of kidney cancer. I also had two grandmothers with Alzheimer's Disease, and I guided many patients with dementia as a medical doctor.
When personal burnout hit me hard, I realised the importance of preventing this overwhelming exhaustion in other caregivers.
My search for rejuvenation led me to understand that true healing wasn't about working harder but aligning more closely with oneself.
This personal alignment became the foundation of my caregiver's toolkit, designed to help busy dementia caregivers avoid burnout.
Today, I live authentically, focusing on genuine joy, and through my coaching, I guide other caregivers toward that same balanced, joyful path. I believe caregivers and those with dementia must pursue more happiness, energy and health.
21 crazy (and unnecessary) facts
- 💃 I owned a huge salsa dance school for 16 years.
- Besides dancing, I also love boxing 🥊 and skiing.
- When I was young, I wanted to be an inventor.
- I do intermittent fasting, so I am super focused until the afternoon.
- I usually break my fast with vegetable juices 💚 so it's easy to get my 500 grams of veggies per day.
- I don't always do my workout routine, and sometimes I also have an off day (that's called human apparently 🤣).
- I say what I think.
- I am addicted to buying (and creating) online programs.
- I am a lifelong learner. 📚
- 🌊 By the sea in the sun, I feel the happiest.
- I like to tidy up and always start with an empty desk, but within half an hour it explodes again.
- 👩🏼🍳 I love to cook (and eat).
- My favourite color is pink. 💕
- I travelled to 51 countries and speak about 9 languages (not all fluent though).
- I'm always full of plans with the result that I start everything, but I don't finish.
- I like making lists - I like ticking off what's done. I even dare to put things on my to-do list after I've done them, just for the fun of checking it off.
- I like making beautiful things, even if many business coaches say it's not worth the time. I can enjoy a beautiful website or a beautiful e-book.
- I don't drink soda. Just water, coffee, tea and wine.
- I love Portugal 🇵🇹 so I moved there this year (2023).
- 🎤 I love being on stage, even though I secretly find it scary - every time.
- Born in December, I am a real Sagittarius. 🏹
And now I want to get to know you!
Hey, now that you got to know me, I really want to get to know you!
If you are already a member of the closed FACEBOOK GROUP then you are as good as family ... and I am curious by nature.
So introduce yourself to the group.
Contact
Health, wellness & dance by Dr. Naomi
Naomi Dongelmans, GP (integrative MD)
hello@naomidongelmans.com
Albufeira, Portugal
Get connected
