Being a family caregiver can keep you hopping from the moment you get up until you finally fall in bed at night. But you don’t have to stay exhausted and if that’s a description you are familiar with, you might want to make some of these changes sooner rather than later.
Don’t Forget to Eat
When you’re used to hitting the ground running every day, it’s way too easy to forget your own needs. And a common issue for family caregivers is to forget to eat. If you’re not eating regularly or you’re grabbing foods that are nutritionally questionable, you’re not giving your body what it needs to keep up with your demanding schedule. Feed your body properly and you’ll have more of the energy you need and want to continue meeting other peoples’ needs.
Sugar and Caffeine Maybe Aren’t Your Friends
If you’re not eating right, you might have befriended both caffeine and sugar to get you through. That’s not unusual, but it’s maybe not the best idea. Both caffeine and sugar are more likely to send you crashing than they are to help you have the energy you really want. Another problem? Eventually you start to need more of them in order to get the same boost you were experiencing. Then the crashes are bigger, too.
You’ve Got to Hydrate
Hydration is a big deal for everyone, your senior included. Senior home care professionals can remind your senior to drink plenty of water each day, but are you doing the same thing? If not, you might want to bump up your water intake. It can be surprising how quickly your body responds to better hydration by giving you that energy you’ve been missing.
Make Sure You’re Sleeping Well
Stress and exhaustion can cause you to lose sleep, as can worrying about issues your elderly family member is facing. But if you’re not getting enough sleep, your brain isn’t going to be able to keep solving problems. And your body isn’t going to have what it needs, either. If your elderly family member’s overnight needs are causing you to lose sleep, bring in senior home care for overnight visits. That can be what you need to get more shuteye.
Get Help from Senior Home Care So You Can Rest
Finally, you might be on target with everything else but completely overlooking other types of rest. There’s more to rest than just sleeping, and if you’re neglecting these other forms of rest, you’re going to find everything from caregiving to the rest of your life to be more difficult to manage. Senior home care providers can be there for your elderly family member while you take time to engage in other activities that fill your cup. When you come back, you’ll be better able to be the caregiver you want to be.
You started caring for your aging family member because you wanted to be there for her. That means you have to be taking care of yourself, too, so that you’re able to live up to the promises you’ve made.
Source
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving
If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Parker, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Parker. 303-953-9924
