People who are new to being a family caregiver can find that it’s difficult to find their footing. There’s so much to do and so many different aspects of caregiving that it can all get overwhelming quickly. You’re balancing a lot, and that will get easier with time and with additional assistance.
Research and Investigate Solutions to Your Senior’s Issues
There are going to be challenges for your senior and for you while you help her through these stages of her life. You’re going to need to work with her medical team and probably do some research on your own to determine the best answers to her specific problems. That usually means that you’re going to learn a lot more than you expected about your elderly family member’s health.
Incorporate Your Senior’s Preferences into Solutions
But it’s not just about learning what most people do to solve certain situations. Your senior has her own preferences, needs, and goals, so you’ll need to incorporate those into her plans. Every situation is unique and requires unique responses from you and from your senior’s doctors.
Offer Emotional and Hands-on Support to Your Senior
As your senior’s family caregiver, you’re likely to be her primary source of emotional support. You’re likely also to be her primary source of practical help. That can mean that there is an awful lot on your plate, especially when you’re dealing with other obligations, too.
Get Help When it’s Necessary
That also means that you’re going to need to recognize when it’s time to bring in a caregiver to help out a little bit more. It’s far better to bring in a caregiver earlier than you think it’s necessary than to wait too long. Having a caregiver frees up some of your time and your energy, so that you’re better able to do what you need to do for your senior.
Make Sure You’re Taking Care of Yourself, Too
It’s important that you don’t neglect yourself, though. Many caregivers forget that it’s so much easier to take care of the people that they love when they’re doing so from a place of rest themselves. Take time away when you need it, so that you can be as present as possible when you are with your senior.
Being a family caregiver is different for every person who takes on that role. What’s most important is that you’re there for your senior as much as you’re able to do so.
