5 Tips Every Family Caregiver Should Know

5 Tips Every Family Caregiver Should Know

Are you the one looking after your ageing parents or some other family member in need of help? If that is the case, you are essentially in the role of a caregiver. As such, you need to understand the obligations you have and the things that can make your job tougher or easier.

Without a doubt, being a caregiver is a tough job. There are many challenges you will face daily when helping an ageing loved one. Whether they are just finding it tough to live on their own, or perhaps are struggling with a condition like dementia, they will need your help around the clock. Here are a few things that you have to take into consideration when doing a caregiver job: You will need all the support you can get – being a caregiver takes its toll on you both mentally and physically. Before you experience burnout and a severe sense of overwhelming hardships, you need to consider getting some help with the job. Don’t be afraid to ask other family members and friends for some help. Perhaps they can look after the person for some time as well, giving you some much-needed breathing room. You can also check some livein care options. This is a service, which provides a professional caregiver at the very home of the person in need of assistance. You can arrange for them to come at a certain period and days during the week, while you deal with other things in your life. Resorting to such service is a good idea when you

want to ensure the person receives adequate assistance at all times and provides peace of mind.

Don’t neglect your health – many caregivers often neglect their health, which is quite problematic. The reason you don’t want to do this is that you can only provide help for the other person if you are healthy yourself. If you are feeling exhausted and stressed out, you will not be of any help to them.

So don’t forget to catch up on sleep, take adequate rests and overall be mindful of your health. You can only take care of others as long as you take care of yourself.

Work on communication skills – caregivers require multiple skills, and among the most important of them is the ability to communicate effectively with employers, the person you are caring for and physicians.

You need to be able to calm the person, if they are experiencing an outburst, you need to be able to share your newfound duties with your employer and you need to be able to explain to the doctor the new symptoms the elderly are experiencing, to provide useful information about their condition. Working on your communication skills is therefore very important and a task you should not ignore.

Establish a routine – the most effective way of caring for another person is to have a routine. Without one, you will be constantly trying to deal with your tasks and stressing out. It is important to establish some familiarity with the daily activities with the elderly person. This means feeding times, taking medications, etc.

Keep a positive attitude – if you want to stay on top of self-care, you need to do positive talk and practice some self-gratitude. It is only through adopting a positive outlook that you can manage to preserve your wellbeing and that of the person you are looking after.

All of these tips work great to ensure you stay on top of the challenges that caregiving presents, all the while boosting the work you do. Make sure to try them out. © Home Care Preferred