Just Because Mom Wants to Remain Home Doesn’t Mean You Have to Be Her Caregiver
Caregiver Philadelphia PA
It’s one of the easiest mistakes family members can make when an elderly loved one is having challenges living on their own. They know their aging parent or other family member wants to remain where they are, aging in place, but they know it’s not safe.
So, they take it upon themselves to be a primary caregiver. They do this, even though they may not have time. You may be in this particular situation as well. Maybe it’s your elderly mother who is recovering from a certain medical emergency. You don’t want her to go through this alone, so you become her primary caregiver.
Just because she wants to remain where she is, where she’s most comfortable, that doesn’t mean you have to take care of her. There are other options. There are also plenty reasons why you don’t have to continue being her primary caregiver, especially when you begin to experience the kind of stress you will with this particular job.
You have limits.
Everyone has limits. It’s not just your time, but your physical capabilities. Whether you’re in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, you can only do so much to take care of an elderly person.
The stress you feel is real.
It’s not all in your mind. Just because you have a personal relationship with this individual doesn’t make the job any easier. The stress may be related to concerns you have about her safety, your time limitations, or even being overwhelmed at work or in your own personal relationships.
That stress can affect relationships tremendously.
Never underestimate the impact stress can have in your life, not just your personal life but your work life as well. If you have a full-time job, you may be dealing with deadlines and other frustrations.
What’s the solution?
Home care is a great support option. If your mother requires assistance and you know she can’t do things on her own and be safe, you can lean on home care support. Sit down and talk about it with your mother.
She has every right to refuse or accept any type of help. She’s earned that right. However, if she refuses, she may not be seeing it from the right perspective. Learn as much as you can about home care aides and other services available to her and let her know just how much stress you’re feeling as her caregiver. She may begin to realize how important it is to have professional and reliable help for herself and for you.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Caregiver Services in Philadelphia PA, please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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