Family caregivers face a tough job. Helping an older loved one get through their days and avoid the pitfalls that might face them is hard work. When it’s done day after day, it can become exhausting.
Although there’s no one size fits all to caring for family members, here are a few things that can help in almost any situation.
- Assess needs. This is something that you will want professional help with. Even if you have a background in the medical or care field, it’s always best to rely on a pro here because our judgment can easily be clouded when it comes to family. Having a professional opinion on what your loved one needs ensures that they are more likely to get it.
- Get their input. You might be heading up the project, but the star of the show is the person in need of care. Get their input on goals and wishes when it comes to their care.
- Talk to your family. This is one of the hardest parts of care, even though it seems so simple on the surface. Talking to your loved ones about the changes that the family is experiencing is tough because it can be an emotionally charged topic. No one wants to go through the changes that will necessitate senior care. No one wants to need to become reliant on the help of others at this point in their life. However, the reality is that these things change over the courses of our life. Talking about these things with the people that are impacted–your family–will only make implementing supports to help them in the form of care that much easier. Starting the conversation earlier rather than later will make it more of a normal part of life and not as intimidating of a topic. It’s not easy, but it’s one of the most important things you can do.
This is not all inclusive. To be sure, when you are caring for a loved one of any age, there are always surprises that can pop up. Your family is completely unique and the experiences that you and your loved ones go through will not be identical to the experiences of other families. However with that said, there are some experiences that are quite common when it comes to senior care. Hopefully, this checklist will help you to be prepared for the most common ones.
Please remember that you don’t need to go through this alone. Senior care is tough. While many situations do call for a family caregiver, sometimes the help of a care professional is absolutely necessary. This doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with you as a caregiver, it just means that in your particular instance, more help than what you have the professional background in is needed.
If you’re interested in learning more about senior care, we’re happy to help. We offer a free consultation session that’s designed to help answer questions, go over what will work for your unique situation, and get you pointed in the right direction. Give us a call to get started.
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