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| Being a good caregiver requires self care, too. |
November is National
Family Caregiver’s Month, and we’re kicking it off with five ways any caregiver
can grow a thriving support network.
Being a family
caregiver requires a high level of compassion and personal sacrifice, and it’s
easy to neglect your own health and interests. But in order to be a good
caregiver, you must practice self-care, too. The happiest, healthiest
caregivers have a solid support system in place, and here are five ideas to get
you started.
Enlist the help of
family members. Categorize daily caregiving tasks into what needs to be done
now, what can wait, what can be done by someone else, and what really does not
have to be done. Take the tasks that can be done by someone else, note who in
family would best accomplish them, and get on the phone. Tell family members
help is needed and ask them to pitch in. Then do your best and give yourself
permission to not worry so much about the rest.
Arm yourself with
knowledge. Knowledge is a great tool for caregivers, from learning about a
loved one’s disease to being able to prepare for physical and emotional
changes. Visit our CareGiver Resource Library, which includes more than 1,500
links to local and national resources. Resources include nonprofits, government
and health care organizations, home care services, financial and legal help,
and much more.
Get help to prevent hunger. There are a variety of programs to help seniors get proper
nutrition. If your loved one doesn’t qualify for federal or state nutrition
programs, consider a service like Mom’s Meals. Mom’s Meals delivers
nutritionally balanced, freshly prepared meals to customers’ homes. Designed to
meet the needs of our aging population, each meal contains fresh foods, is
microwaveable and will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.
Build social
communities. Find support and feel less alone by connecting with others.
Thriving caregiver communities can be found on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook,
Google+, LinkedIn, blogs, forums — and don’t forget YouTube, the second-largest
search engine in the world! When building connections, look for people you
know, experts in caregiving, and helpful companies and brands.
Hire professional
help as needed. If an elderly loved one needs in-home care, respite care,
personal care or companionship, there are services that can help. Visiting
Angels is a national, private-duty network that provides nonmedical senior
care. The customer chooses the services, selects the caregiver and dictates
schedules for feeding, bathing, etc. Caregivers are continually monitored
through telephone check-ins and home visits to ensure recipients are cared for
according to the standards of Visiting Angels.
For further reading:
About The CareGiver
Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their
loved ones
with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home
health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product
Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site
provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to
caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate
cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for
incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The
CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wis. Visit
http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353. Help
support this ad-free blog by answering several questions about caregiving here.
It will take just two minutes.
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| Call us. We're here to help. |
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