Five Issues You Might Run into as a Family Caregiver
There are some situations that you most likely will encounter as a family caregiver that you might not think you’ll fall into. These can dramatically affect your own well-being and may even impact your ability to continue to be a family caregiver at all.
Not Having Time for Yourself
Home Care Chester, PA: Issues as a Family Caregiver
Many family caregivers are shocked to find themselves in a situation in which they run out of time and never get to their own needs. This can happen gradually, but it’s something that bleeds into every area of your life. You’re going to need to work out how to take time for yourself, or the problem will become much bigger.
Forgetting to Eat or Exercise
Very often family caregivers are busy from the moment they wake up to the time they go to bed. There’s a lot to do, especially if you’ve got other obligations demanding your time and attention. If you find that you’re overlooking things like regular meals and exercising even once in a while, that’s something that will affect you at some point.
Minimizing Your Social Needs
Everyone has social needs, including family caregivers. You need to be able to spend time with friends and other family members whenever you need and want to do so. If you’ve been neglecting those connections, you may feel a sense of loss and even of isolation.
Spreading Yourself Too Thin
Keeping up with the demands of being a family caregiver means you’re trying to cover all of the bases. This might mean you’re having trouble saying no, especially when it comes to other people you love. Look closely at what you’re committing to and to whether you can cut back on some of those commitments.
Ignoring Health Issues of Your Own
Do you have your own health issues? If you’re like most family caregivers, you’ve got at least one health issue you need to keep an eye on. But it seems to be a lot easier to worry about your senior’s health than your own. Continuing to ignore your own health just ensures that the issue will get a lot worse before it gets better.
If you’re recognizing any of these issues, you need to put a plan in place. That plan needs to include respite time, in which you’re able to leave your senior with home care providers and make sure you’re taking care of yourself first. That’s going to help you to be an even better family caregiver.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care in Chester, 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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