While we may be thrust into the role of caregivers or willingly take it on, the other parts of our lives, our jobs, businesses, families and social circles still expect us to be the same. It is not an easy task to continue being so and these unmet expectations easily lead to frustration and exhaustion.
There are many scheduled and unscheduled needs which arise when caring for a senior citizen, especially if you are taking care of their day-to-day needs, besides you are rarely trained to do all the tasks you are asked to do as a caregiver.
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- Help the parent/relative with basic daily needs like brushing, bathing, changing clothes etc.
- Arrange for everyday essentials and regular Doctor interaction, when required
- Help them with physical movements: Seating them in bed/chair, help with physical therapy
- At times, you have to also do medical service like helping with injections, feeding tubes, bandaging wounds
- Be available for big and small things and available at all times
New to caregiving? Please note.
To ensure you can do this for a long time without losing your focus or getting frustrated, here is a list of things you can do:
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- Stop aiming for perfection
- Do remember, you have a right to all of your emotions
- You will not be able to be perform your tasks well always – Accept that
- Learn about the disease and what you can expect
- Know your limitations – especially what you cannot do
- Take time off and refuse when you are overwhelmed – ask for help from others
- Be kind to yourself
- Eat right
- Take time to exercise/do yoga/meditate
- Sleep well
- Don’t burn out – keep talking and asking for help when you need it
Taking care of yourself is as important as taking care of your parent/relative.
