According to a recent survey, about 16 percent of Americans aged 15 or older provide unpaid care to an elderly individual, usually a family member. Odds are if you’re reading this, you fall into that category, or might in the very near future. There’s nothing wrong with being a family caregiver. Millions of people around the world do this, and in many cultures, this is the preferred way to help an elderly member of the family get through their latter years in life, and most people prefer receiving this type of care, too. However, as anyone who has done this for any period of time, being a family caregiver is one of the hardest things that you will ever have to do in your lifetime.
Sometimes people are forced to leave their job to care for an older parent in poor health. Sometimes their relationships suffer or even are ended because of caring for someone. There are alternatives to these things, thankfully, but many people do not take advantage of them, either because they don’t know that they exist, or they think that they cannot afford them. In-home care is one of the most cost effective types of care that there is, and oftentimes it is the cheapest care out there, depending on how intensive the needs of your family member are. In-home care allows your loved one to stay with you in the home, and it allows for you to still act as a family caregiver. The benefit is that you don’t have to make the costly sacrifices to your life when you choose this type of care. You won’t have to leave your job to make sure that your mom or dad is safe. You won’t have to quit seeing your friends once in a while because you will be free when the caregiver is on duty.
Compassion is the most important trait you should be looking for in a caregiver.
There are catches here, of course. You need to find a caregiver that you trust completely. You need to have one that you can leave the house for eight hours and you know that they will do just as good of a job or better of helping your parent with the things that they need. Caregivers need to be fully trained for all basic things, such as preparing meals, bathing, and helping your mom get around the house safely. They should also be prepared for an emergency. Do they know what to do if your dad has a stroke? What if he falls in the shower and breaks a bone?
In addition to this type of training, there is something extremely important that your caregiver of choice should have: they should be compassionate. Compassion is the personality trait that will drive them to be a better caregiver. Not all caregivers have this, unfortunately. That’s why going through a caregiver service that screens all of their caregivers before hiring them and conducts thorough interviews should be used. Some people see caregiving as a source of revenue. And while getting paid is important, that’s not what you should be looking for first when trying to find someone to help the person you love. Compassion is a must if you want your parent to get the best care possible.
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