Are You Struggling to Overcome Challenges as a Family Caregiver?
Caring for a family member can put a great deal of physical, mental and emotional strain on you. To help make your caregiving tasks easier, try these suggestions from these experts.
Check in With Yourself
Caregiving can become the onset of a variety of physical and mental issues. A few examples include:
- Disturbed sleep
- Back, shoulder or neck pain
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mood swings
It’s important that you check in with yourself and analyze how you’re feeling. If you experience any of these issues, it’s recommended that you make an appointment with your doctor to address them. Then establish a plan moving forward to keep yourself healthy while caring for your loved one.
You could consider reaching out to a professional caregiving service like Caring Home Care. By sharing the workload you can alleviate stress from your life, and improve the quality of time you spend with your loved one.
Don’t Neglect Self-Care
Caregivers often feel like they are “on the clock” 24 hours a day. As important as it is to develop and stick to a routine to help your loved one, it’s also important to acknowledge lulls throughout the day to take advantage of for yourself.
When you see an opening, allow yourself to take a moment and find your center. Discover what helps you relax, whether it’s listening to music or reading a book, and recharge your own batteries.
Eat well, stick with your exercise regimen and go out once and a while to see your friends. Get enough sleep every night to recharge your internal batteries and allow your body to repair itself from the stresses of your responsibilities.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Find Reliable Help
There’s often too much involved in caregiving for one person to take on alone. This is especially true if you have a job, your own home and children to look after.
Reach out to other family members or close friends to see if they can help. If not, seek out a professional caregiver from a nurse registry, like Caring Home Care, to help with caregiving tasks like preparing meals, doing laundry, bathing and more.
There’s no shame in asking for help, especially if it allows your loved one to continue living comfortably and independently.