As a Caregiver, What Do You Need Most, And How Do You Get it?

As a caregiver, you provide physical and emotional support for an aging or ill loved one. You are often on-call 24 hours a day, catching sleep when you can and resting when things are calm. Unless you have hired help or support from other family members or friends, you also bear the responsibility of daily living on your own. If you are the sole care provider, things that are less important than caring for your loved one slip through the cracks. It doesn’t mean these things aren’t important, it just means your loved one’s needs come first.
 
Do you know a caregiver? Perhaps someone in your family is serving in that role. Who takes care of them? First and foremost, each of us must do our best to take care of ourselves in whatever ways are possible. But having support or someone else to lean on can make a world of difference. If you’re a caregiver, you understand how helpful this is.
 
If you’ve flown on an airplane, you know about the little presentation the flight attendants do before take off. Just as the flight attendant reminds you to put your mask on first should there be a drop in cabin air pressure, and then help others, caregivers must be sure to put self-care at the top of their list. Seeking support is part of that self-care. There is an important reason for this.
 
Caring for the caregiver helps them to be on top of their game when it comes to responding to a loved one’s care. Knowing what is needed is the first step.

• First, physical and emotional support is vital. What if you’re willing to help, but not sure what to do? Caregivers may need physical help to care for senior loved ones, including help with daily tasks and maybe light (or heavy) housekeeping. If you can’t help but would be willing to pay for a housekeeping service once or according to a schedule that works for all of you, this will take a huge load off the caregiver and give them more time to be with the person in their charge.
• Decision-making can be emotionally hard on the caregiver, and so having someone to bounce things off is really helpful. This can be someone on the medical team, but a close friend or family member knows the caregiver and patient best, and so their input is valuable.
• Preparing meals for the patient or caregiver is a wonderful way to support them. Starting a meal train among friends in which people sign up to bring a meal can take another heavy load off the caregiver.
• Running errands and performing chores is another way you can be of support.
• Help at bathing time, as long as the patient is okay with it, can also be a way to support both the aging patient and the caregiver.

 Pharma-C-Wipes products will help make things easier. Visit the product section on our website to learn about how we can help make the duties of caregiving easier without compromising quality.  www.pharma-c.com/products
 

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