Caring for an aging parent or person with disabilities can be challenging to say the least. Our experience tells us that most family caregivers, while their efforts are genuine, often don’t have all the skills needed to provide for their loved ones.
Often, the care recipient receives adequate support for life maintenance, but not lifestyle maintenance. As the care they need increases, it’s difficult for even the best caregivers to provide everything they need to be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy.
If you are a family caregiver, be honest with yourself. Keep providing care in areas you are strong, but allow others to provide additional supports for those aspects of life that you may not be qualified or comfortable when providing assistance.
Ask yourself some of these questions:
Activities of daily living – Are you physically able to provide adequate assistance with bathing and hygiene, walking or transferring into bed, feeding and meal preparation?
Medical needs – Do you understand your loved ones medical needs, medicines, therapies? Do you know warning signs and preventions to avoid illness or complications?
Transportation and errands – Are you able to spend time helping with transportation and chores? Are you doing things for your loved one that they could still be doing on their own with assistance?
Financial management and record keeping – Managing medical records, utilities and other bills, taxes and monitoring income and expenses is challenging for many, let alone when they have to manage it for someone else. Do you have the knowledge and organizational skill required?
Socialization – One of the leading causes of depression among seniors is loneliness. Remember, loneliness isn’t about being alone as much as it is about the lack of peer stimulation. Are you able to provide companionship that is stimulating and ongoing? Are you able to help your loved one stay connected to others in their life?
Emotional support – Emotional support is a two-way street. In order to be supportive emotionally, you need to be emotionally healthy yourself. Does your stress affect your ability to provide care? Do the stressors in your life influence the person for whom you’re caring?
Providing ‘round the clock care requires a team of people with a variety of skills. Be honest with yourself about which of these skills you have, and which ones you should supplement. Spreading the caregiving throughout your family or bringing in an outside agency to manage aspects of their lifestyle can be just as important to the care recipient as to the caregiver.
Allegiance Home Health has medical professionals, companion services, social services and care managers that can provide the extra help you need. Please call.
