Giving Care can be Hard, Receiving can be Excruciating…but do it Anyways
Hello, World!
Becoming a caregiver is one of the hardest things that you will ever do. Receiving care is equally hard, but rarely talked about. Whether a new caregiver or a longtime one, all benefit from learning how to be a recipient of care. Remember that you can only give what you have, once depleted, you have nothing left to give. Stop. Take a deep breath. Model good behavior to those in our care. Let’s take about how.
Let Others Help
While caregiving, have you ever had the experience of a friend or family member asking how they can help? It can be hard to know how to respond to that. As the primary caregiver you might feel that it is your responsibility and therefore cannot expect help from others. Or perhaps you ask yourself, why should I have to tell people how they can help, they see what I am dealing with, why don’t they just jump in and help?
These are valid feelings but they are detrimental to you and to your patient for two reasons. The first is, your patient needs you at your best and you can only be at your best if you get rest. Rest only comes by means of letting others help. Secondly, your patient needs a break from you. I know that may be hard to hear but sit with it for a minute. Do you like to be around only one person day in day out, year after year? Humans crave variety in their connections and interactions, even sick humans.
Next time someone asks how they can be of assistance consider giving this list to friends and family and allowing them to pick how they can be of service:
Come over for one hour and allow the caregiver to do some form of self care without having to leave the house(take a bath, and take a nap).
Schedule five hour block once a week to come over and give relief to the caregiver allowing them to leave the house and do things that they have most likely had to neglect.
Wash the patient and caregiver’s car once a month inside and out.
Set-up and pay monthly Amazon delivery of inexpensive household items (toilet paper, dish soap, laundry detergent).
Drive patient to appointments (depending on the patient’s level of need go into the appointment with them and take notes).
Become the patients/caregiver’s designated tech guru (keep a list of all their usernames and passwords, set up new devices, manage updates on their computer/ipad/iphone).
Setup and pay for one streaming service (Netflix, Peacock, Hulu, ESPN+, or Disney +).
Become the patient’s designated social worker (find out all services that are available in the patient’s community that are available to them, federal and state programs, and also programs that are specific to their diagnosis example: annual credit for free shoes that diabetics are entitled to).
Do annual safety checks of the person’s home (check fire/carbon dioxide detectors, make sure kitchen fire extinguisher is up to date and tank is full, replace light bulbs as needed).
Put together and maintain patient/caregiver’s Go-Bags (make sure to accommodate for patient’s special needs in this go bag, example have one weeks worth of medication).
Installing grab bars in the Patient’s bathroom (shower and toilet)
Weekly lawn maintenance (cutting the grass, and trimming hedges)
In cold climates
Shoveling and salting driveway/walkways with each snowfall.
Checking and managing home heating source.
*NOTE: Anyone who signs up for an item on the list, remember that you are working to decrease the caretaker’s stress and increase the care the patient is receiving. Therefore make sure to manage your assignment on your own. Add a monthly calendar reminder to both your phone, caregiver’s phone, and in cases where it is appropriate the patient’s phone. Check in every 3-6 months to determine if the arrangement is still beneficial to all parties. Accept heartfelt thanks for the love and services that you are providing.
DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG IS GIVING MEDICAL SUGGESTIONS, WHICH CANNOT REPLACE MEDICAL TREATMENT. IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF URGENT MEDICAL CARE DO NOT DELAY TREATMENT. SEEK TREATMENT NOW.
