Taking Care of the Caregiver

A day in the life of a caregiver is full,to say the least. For most caregivers, there never seens to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. From early morning to late evening, a caregiver spends each day assisting with personal care, preparing healthy meals for special diets, giving medication and positioning and transferring while prcticing health and safety techniques. Chances are, your daily schedule could benefit from time-saving tips that can help make caregiving responsibilities a little easier.

Time Saving Tips

• Get organized
• Get help!
• Don't try to take on everything by yourself and don't wait for someone to offer help

Susan Hunt's Words of Wisdom

You need to be aware of those signs, and that's where a friend can really help. I had a friend that resurfaced after 20 years and went through that whole caregiving process with me, and she did take the time to tell me, stop, you need to do this for yourself.

And by the way, one other last thought, if you're not a caregiver now, chances are you will be. We often say that. And so you do have something that you can provide, which is your time and your support. So if you can offer up a couple of days a month to that caregiver, that gives them a whole day to themselves, and it's really worth it. I think really the bottom line is that knowledge is power.

Caregiver Stress

Without taking proper care of yourself, the physical and emotional strian of these responsiilities can cause depression, anxiety or even illness.

You may be too busy in your daily routine or are too caught doing for others that you ignore the signs of stress. Some caregivers don't pat attention to these signs until am emotional crisis or breakdown occurs. But, by recognizing these signs early, you can make changes that will help alleviate your stress and help you to stay physically and emotionally healthy.

Signs of stress:

•  Restlessness
•  Feeling sad
•  Feeling exhausted
•  Not able to sleep
•  Eating all the time
•  Not interested in spendind time with friends
•  Not interested in doing things that you like to do
•  Feeling angry
•  Feeling that your life has been stolen from you.

These feelings are normal, but they are not healthy. They are warning signs that you need help.