Kudos to you if you're devoting some or all of your time to care for a senior member of your family. We're sure you're doing a wonderful job, even if you do feel the strain of your role at times.
However, you do need to look after yourself. Your health matters, and especially if you are feeling the strain of caring for your elderly parents or grandparents, you need to find ways to help yourself too.
Here are some suggestions we hope you find useful.
#1: Take time out for yourself during the day
We know that you might be pressed for time at times, but it's important to find those windows of opportunity for self-care. By taking the time to exercise, eat healthily, and to relax, you will have a greater capacity to care for your senior loved one. So, look for those moments where you can care for your own needs, perhaps when your family member is sleeping or busy elsewhere, or when you have been able to hand over the caring duties to somebody else for a while.
#2: Seek support from others
We mean this in two ways.
First, don't handle the role of carer alone. If there are other members of your family who can help, you will have the opportunity to take time out for yourself. Check online for local Respite Care services too, as there are companies out there who will send people to your home or to your family member's home to take on some of your caring responsibilities.
Secondly, talk to others if you need emotional support. There could be organizations in your area with caregiver support services, so find out what is available. Or speak to your friends and family members, and draw on their love and care of you to give you the strength you need to cope. And when you get the chance, have a social life away from your caregiving role. You need to see other people occasionally, not only for support but for fun times too.
#3: Spend quality time with your loved one
The role of a caregiver can be a stressful one, and you will have a long list of tasks to do. However, you don't have to look upon this aspect of your life as a chore, because if you can find ways to spend quality time with your family member, you will both benefit from the rewards this can give. So, go for a drive together if possible, and if your senior loved one is mobile, take short walks too. When you're together indoors, play games, watch films you both enjoy, and talk to one another about happy times in the past and reminisce. These moments can be very rewarding, and not only will they be valuable to your senior, but you should enjoy them too, not least because they might counter some of the stress you feel.
We hope these words of advice were useful to you, but let us know. And if you are a caregiver with further advice to give, please leave a note in the comment section below.
Having spent time in a nursing home recovering from a serious illness, I can only say bless you to all those who keep their elderly loved ones at home. Even the best nursing homes are just not happy places.
ReplyDeleteThis really is a good subject! My mom had MS. She was so stubborn. She worked for the government, so when she got too sick, they hooked her up with a handicapped apartment. I hooked her up with a computer and showed her how to use PeaPod. She had handles all over the place, even in the shower so she can grab them so she didn’t fall. She also had a walker and a small wheelchair. That move turned out to be the best for her, because she met a heart transplant recipient and they felt in love. They were together for about 6 years before he died! Then we had to move her to a nursing home. When she lived in her apartment, I called her and Ralph all the time. I visited her a lot and did what I could for her! I was her oldest child out of 4 kids. I worked full time and was raising 4 daughters and yet I was the one who took care of her the most. My sister couldn’t she lived in Seattle. I said all this, because there was one thing she told me a few times was; she didn’t understand why I was the only one that did the most for her and I have the most responsibilities. Why her other children didn’t make more time for her! It hurt her heart deeply!! My brothers were mostly holiday visitors. They did call her. After she went in the nursing home, I heard the same thing from the other patients. Of how they missed their families and how lonely they were. I even brought some of them things they wanted, because my mom would tell me that they missed eating a certain food. On Christmas, I brought them and my mom’s favorite nurses gifts. Now I am disabled and know what she went through! I am so happy that I did right by her!! Or I would feel so bad & guilty now that she is gone. Showing someone cares meant the most to them! No one likes being forgotten! I pinned this Thank you for sharing this important subject!
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