There comes a time in an elderly person’s life when they need the assistance of a part-time caregiver or need full-time caregiving assistance. As our loved ones age, they experience greater physical and mental challenges doing what came easy to them when they were younger.
They develop diseases, hearing and vision problems, lose their ability to drive a car, and experience mobility issues. While some senior citizens may demonstrate independence, as they grow older they may need a caregiver.
But caring for the elderly can be stressful, especially when it’s new. It takes patience and understanding, and excellent time management skills.
In this post, we present eight tips for caregivers to avoid burnout because self-care is necessary for every caregiver to be effective.
1. Don’t Neglect Your Own Self Care
When you take care of someone else, it’s easy to get consumed in your responsibilities and forget to take care of you. However, in order to assist someone else effectively, you need to take care of yourself.
A good example is in the familiar message you’ve heard on an airplane. The stewardess tells passengers that in the event of an emergency, breathe into your oxygen mask first before assisting others.
When we get overwhelmed in taking care of someone else, it can weaken our own minds and bodies. We become agitated, stressed out, and develop stress-related illnesses. This makes it more difficult to perform our caregiving tasks.
2. Find Some Tools and Strategies to Relieve Stress
When the person we’re taking care of becomes unwilling to take their medicine, go to the doctor’s office, or follow the advice that benefits their health, it can create stress for the caregiver.
In addition, some caregivers have families and work responsibilities beyond working as a part-time caregiver that can add to the stress. However, they can practice tools and strategies that can relieve their anxiety such as these:
- Deep breathing exercises
- Guided meditation apps
- Journaling
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Taking a bath
- Seeing a therapist
Other things that help anxiety include getting the right amount of sleep and eating right. Sleeping eight hours a night and eating a balanced diet can fight stress.
3. Practice Enjoyable Activities
It’s important to carve out time in your schedule to do activities that you enjoy. For example, attending a group at your local library or joining a social group online.
Do you get pleasure out of reading? Then join a book discussion group. Or spend time listening to your favorite music. You can create a playlist of tunes you love on your smartphone.
Enjoy watching sports? Then watch them on television. Whether it’s a social activity or one you can do solo, doing activities you like will give you peace of mind while caregiving.
4. Make a Schedule
Doing things haphazardly can add to caregiving stress. That’s why creating a structured schedule can give you a realistic idea of how much time you have in your day.
Get a day planner and schedule things in from lunch to doctor’s appointments and errands. And don’t forget to schedule a time for your activities.
Making a schedule on your days off will help you make time and achieve the tasks you need to do for your own life. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and make you see how you can fit everything in.
5. Get Some Fresh Air
If you spend a large portion of your day indoors, it’s important to also make time to go outside. Spending time outdoors lets you breathe in oxygen which also helps reduce stress levels.
Take a 30-minute walk each day if you can. Plan a hike on your day off and breathe in the fresh air. You’ll be surprised how good inhaling fresh air can make you feel. You can even plan an outing to the park and take your loved one with you.
6. Know Your Limitations
It would be nice if we could push a button to learn when we need to take a break. But unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. That’s why it’s important to know our limitations. Be aware of your body and when you need to take some time off.
If you’re finding that things are getting too stressful, reach out to someone for some help. This will also enable you to be a better caregiver to your loved one you’re assisting.
7. Reach Out to Other Siblings
When you feel you need a break, it’s essential to reach out for help. One thing you can do is call another family member to help you take over some duties.
Duties can be anything from spending time with your loved one at their home, taking them for a stroll or to taking care of these responsibilities:
- Refill prescriptions
- Phone health insurance carriers
- Pay bills
- Drive your loved one to doctor’s appointments
- Do the grocery shopping or take a run to the pharmacy
- Get gas in the car
Reaching out to another sibling or family member can help you take a break. And free some time up in your schedule while you take a brief respite.
8. Hire Outside Help
If your sibling or family members can’t make themselves available when you need a break, try reaching out for outside professional assistance. Home health care agencies can assist with several duties from cleaning the home to shopping and medication administration.
A home health care agency can provide relief for a couple of hours a day or a longer period should you need to take more time off. You can do research to find a good agency and interview the caregiver or home health professional.
Introducing them to your loved one is a great idea to see if they’re a good fit. There’s no reason for you to feel guilty if you need a break. Working with an outside company can be good for both you and your loved one.
Essential Tips for a Part-Time Caregiver Revisited
Whether you’re a part-time caregiver or a full-time healthcare professional, you can benefit from following these eight tips. The key to successful caregiving is staying organized, knowing your limits, and practicing self-care.
Looking for home health care for your loved one? Whether you need live-in assistance or want to take a brief respite, call us today to get some relief from a compassionate companion or healthcare professional.
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