What Should You Know as a Caregiver from the Start?

Posted on June 23, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

If you’re new to being a family caregiver, that feeling that you don’t even know what you don’t know can be overwhelming. What you might need to do is to sit down and ask yourself about some of these topics. They can help you to figure out how to proceed so that you do the best job you can, and when it’s time to bring in companion care at home.

How Much Time You Have for Being a Caregiver

You know you want to be a caregiver for someone in your life, but how much time can you devote to caregiving, really? You may not have as much time as you think you do, especially if you have a career, a family, and other obligations. Will you have to rearrange anything or figure out a different plan for certain areas of your life? It’s important to know that as soon as possible.

Who All Needs Your Time and Your Energy

This is slightly different from the last question, but it might look the same. First, you’re looking at your bigger blocks of time and what your different roles are, such as caregiver, friend, parent, employee. But now you’re looking at who specifically needs your time and energy the most. Which people, pets, and entities need your time and energy? That detail matters.

What Your Limits Are

You’ve got additional limitations, too. Your own health factors into these decisions and what you need in terms of time for yourself and time to devote to pursuits that matter to you. If you need a great deal of sleep, that’s important to consider, because as a caregiver you may find that interrupted more often than you are comfortable with. Think about as many variables as you can, like what you are comfortable helping you senior with and what you aren’t. Companion care at home is great in this regard since there isn’t a family connection that can make personal care tasks awkward.

If You’re on Your Own with This

Will anyone else be helping you? Many caregivers have other family members who can help, but all too many have no one in the family who can help them. If you can lean on friends for help, that might be something to consider, too. You’re never completely on your own as a caregiver, but if you don’t establish your support system early on, you can start to believe that you are completely alone.

How to Incorporate Companion Care at Home

Your senior parent might be reluctant to accept outside help, and that may be the reason why you feel obligated to be their family caregiver. If you have asked yourself the above questions and determined that it would be impossible to me a caregiver on your own, it’s time to have an honest conversation with your parent. Helping them understand the many benefits of companion care at home and how it can help them age in place is vital. Consider having a companion care provider make a short visit to talk with your parent and get to know them.

All of this is important for you to consider early on in the caregiving process. If you don’t start to think about some of these details, you might feel as if you’ve gotten blindsided along the way.

Source
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/family-caregiving

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Tempe, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

How Can Home Care Assistance Help You With Self-Care?

Posted on April 28, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

It’s estimated that there are 53 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S. helping an older adult. Of those, 89% are helping an older relative. More than half of the unpaid caregivers in the nation are helping an aging parent.

Here’s the problem with being a family caregiver. Almost six out of ten family caregivers feel that they don’t have a choice. Some quit jobs and forgo the income, retirement benefits, and healthcare coverage. Others reduce the number of hours they work.

As they spend more time helping their parent, these caregivers often push aside their needs to socialize, visit the doctor and dentist, and take care of themselves emotionally, mentally, and physically. Does this sound familiar to you?

Home care assistance is one of the best ways to ensure you have the bandwidth to take care of yourself. These are the things professional caregivers can do to ensure you focus on self-care.

Lessen Your Daily Chore List

Every day, you’re busy getting your kids to school, cleaning your home, driving to your dad’s house, and getting him showered, dressed, and ready to eat breakfast. While he waits at the table, you cook his breakfast.

After that, you have to wash dishes, put them away, and take your dad and his dad for the first of their daily walks. You have the carpets to vacuum, a bed to make, and sometimes the laundry needs doing.

It might be an errand day where you take your dad shopping. He might need to refill his prescriptions at the pharmacy. Back at home, you put things where they go.

There’s lunch to prepare, another walk to complete, and dinner to get ready. Once he’s eaten, you have to go home and cook for your children and help them with homework. It’s exhausting.

Home care aides can help lessen your load. You could hire a caregiver to help your dad at home while you run errands. The caregiver could do the housekeeping chores while you take your dad for a walk. You’ll have less to do, and that gives you more time to spend with him doing things that you both enjoy.

Respite Care Services

Have you taken a week off? You don’t have to go on vacation, but you should have a week to yourself. Sleep in late. Catch up on the pile of books you want to read or the movies and shows that have been building up in your queue.

Spend that week with your friends and family. While you’re doing things you enjoy, you don’t have to worry about your dad. He’s getting the help he needs from his home care aide.

Home care assistance is one of the best ways to have enough time for self-care. Instead of being the only person your dad can rely on, hire professional caregivers to help out. Get a list of questions from your dad and close family members and call an agency to discuss home care assistance today.

Sources:
https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2021/05/caregiving-in-the-united-states-50-plus.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.022.pdf

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Tempe, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Make “Let It Go” Your New Motto

Posted on March 10, 2022August 10, 2023 by Craig Bass

What do you do each day? You’re probably up and at your parents’ house before they get up. You have breakfast started so that you’re ready to help them with showers and grooming. After they eat and take their daily pills, you clean the kitchen and start the housework. There are beds to make, laundry to do, carpets to vacuum, and surfaces to wipe down. You have sinks to clean, the tub/shower to scrub, and floors to sweep and mop. The tasks seem endless. Before you experience caregiver burnout, learn how to make “let it go” your motto. Bringing in home care providers to help lighten the load is one of the best places to start.

Find Ways to Release Stress

Ease stress through meditation. Put on beginner Yoga or Tai Chi videos and work out to them. If your parents want to join you, let them. These exercise routines are good at strengthening muscle, improving balance, and easing stress.

Journaling, meditation, and dance are all ways to ease stress. Crank up some music and dance around the house while you take care of routine chores like mopping and vacuuming. Your parents may want to join in, which helps improve everyone’s mood on a dreary day.

Get outside and let the power of fresh air and sun help ease stress when you can. A brisk walk around a park or neighborhood can help reduce stress and clear your mind. If there are nature trails nearby, studies show that time spent in nature is the best way to improve your mood.

Set Time Aside for Fun Activities

One of the best ways to avoid caregiver burnout is by making sure there is time for fun activities each day. Set aside an hour or two to do things you and your parents enjoy. They love musicals. Rent a new or old musical, make popcorn, and get some drinks ready. Have a lazy movie afternoon together.

Plan one day a month to go to a local museum or historic site for an afternoon. Stop at a café for lunch and tour the attraction together. When the weather cooperates, you could tour a botanical garden or zoo.

Have fun at home after purchasing some craft kits. Purchase kits to make stained glass suncatchers, embroidered wall hangings, or papercrafts. Work on them with your parents when you have some free time.

Have Home Care Aides Help With Housework

How do you free up some time for fun? Stop trying to do everything on your own. Hire professional home care providers to help with some of the daily chores. While you prepare your parents’ meals, caregivers could do the laundry and housework.

Home care aides make it easy to let some things go. You don’t have to be the only one caring for your mom and dad. Enjoy spending quality time with them by having home care aides handle some of the time-consuming daily chores. Call to learn more.

Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/caregiver-stress/art-20044784

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Scottsdale, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Tag: Getting Help