Sometimes, taking care of your loved ones at home may be the best decision that will speed up his or her recovery. The comfort of living in a home that he or she is familiar with may have a positive impact on him or her. However, being a caregiver at home can be difficult at times. There may be some problems with the one needing the care while you may not be able to meet up with the expectations of the patient too. It is imperative, then, to devise a working strategy that you can use to overcome the potential challenges and achieve your goals. Some of the practical tips you should consider are:
Accept your feelings:
The stress of providing care for a family member in addition to the different responsibilities you shoulder may have a negative impact on your feelings. You may have some difficult emotions, fear, guilt, resentment, helplessness, and a host of other emotional feelings. It is important that you realize that your feelings are normal. You don’t need to criticize yourself for your feelings. Your emotional feelings are not an indicator of anything against for your family. As a caregiver, it is proof that you are human, with feelings too. So, the earlier you accept your feelings, the easier it is to cope with it and move on with your care giving responsibility.- Call for help:
It is not advisable to accept full responsibility for taking care of the ailing family member. If you do you to will burn out quickly, and that will leave you frustrated. Under that condition, you can do little that others will expect of you. To maximize your care giving, ask for assistance from other family members. If you have siblings, they should be part of the care for your aging parent. When you pull your resources together, it will relieve you of a heavy burden that may have a negative effect on your health and finances. That way, you can continue giving help for the ailing one without burning out. - Focus on your relationship:
Focusing on the relationship is another tip that can increase the fun you have with the person you are caring for and diffuse the tension that may arise from the stress of providing help for them. Focus on your relationship with the patient and use the opportunity you have to do things together. If possible, play some games together if the patient is still strong enough to do that. You have a lot of time together and do your best to maximize that. If there are activities, that you both enjoy, go for them together. Tell stories when you can. Share wonderful moments. That will ease the pressure of care giving. - Use community services:
Most communities have public services you can utilize. Depending on your location, you can find some services that will fit into your budget. The cost of such services depends on your financial ability
because there are services that offer different plans. Some services that can ease your stress are home health aides, respite care, adult day care, skilled nursing, and transportation services. You can call a center for local senior, family services, or other services that can give you the necessary information that may be of great assistance. If you are in the United States and the care recipient is a US veteran, you may benefit from nursing home care, family support, and home health care coverage. - Pay attention to yourself:
You are of no good to the care recipient if you break down while providing help for a sick family member. Therefore, it is imperative that you pay attention to yourself too. Even when you seem to be overwhelmed with work, create enough time for yourself to unwind. Do whatever will reduce your stress and strengthen you. Dance if you can. Listen to good music. Watch your favorite movie. Just do what will lift your spirit. That will help you cope with the stress. Don’t forget to eat healthy meals too. Take your time to eat a snack that is rich in protein once or twice daily. Protein will help you control your blood sugar level and keep it in within a safe level. Protein will also reduce your chances of developing headaches, fatigue, and irritability. A small snack with high protein content will improve your moods and energy as you carry out your responsibility throughout the day. You can try to snack on a small amount of turkey, a hard-boiled egg, cheese, or an apple with peanut butter or almonds. That contains what you need to keep going in a day. Remember that you are good as a caregiver if you are in the best physical and mental condition. So, learn to be a healthy caregiver. Anything short of that will drastically impact your performance negatively. - Know your care giving limits:
The challenges that we associate with care giving underscore the urgency of knowing your limit. Remember that you are not a superman or superwoman. You have personal physical challenges too. Therefore, learn to identify how much you can do without subjecting yourself to serious health problems. A report by the National Alliance for Caregivers gives us an insight into how many caregivers stretch themselves beyond what is healthy for them. According to the report, most caregivers fail to consider their health when taking care of their family members. Some of the people interviewed claimed that they didn’t get medical appointments. Neglecting yourself can also have a negative impact on their lives.
What is the importance of these statistics? You shouldn’t provide care for others at the expense of your health. You should understand your limits and stay within it. Otherwise, you may find it funny to have to go through role reversal where the care recipient will become the caregiver while you become the new recipient.
This won’t be good for your health and finances!
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