It may have come totally out of nowhere: an unanticipated fall that led to a fractured hip plus the need for Mom to have support and help to stay at home. Or, it may have been building up over the years, such as through the incremental and slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Regardless of the circumstances, you’ve now found yourself in the job of family caregiver, and maybe are wondering exactly what this means and how to navigate these uncharted waters.
New caregivers should start simply by taking a good deep breath and a moment to acknowledge the selflessness of your choice. Caregiving is a noble and incredibly rewarding endeavor, however not without its challenges. A little proactive planning will go a long way towards a smoother transition to care, both for yourself and your family member. A good starting off point is to think through the manner in which you would both prefer each day to look, creating a simple timeline to record the daily activities and tasks which will need your attention. For instance:
- 7 a.m.: Help your mom get out of bed, showered, dressed, and ready for the day
- 8 a.m.: Make breakfast and tidy up
- 9 a.m.: Take Mom to physical therapy and/or exercise class
- 11 a.m.: Run errands with (or for) Mom
- 1 p.m.: Prepare lunch and tidy up
- 2 p.m.: Help Mom get settled in for afternoon activities: a movie, puzzles, reading, nap, participating in a favorite hobby or pastime, etc.
- 6 p.m.: Make dinner and tidy up
- 8 p.m.: Help your mom with bedtime tasks – a bath, changing into pajamas, brushing teeth, etc.
- 10 p.m.: Help your mom get into bed
Your list will be different for each day, of course, nevertheless this offers a helpful outline to let you know when you could have just a little downtime to yourself, and when you will need to provide some help.
This is also a good time to establish boundaries together – and to agree to stick to them. Again, these will vary for each person as well as on different days, but determine what is essential to each of you: having a specified time each day for self-care and private time, when friends and family may come to visit, whether or not you need to maintain a job outside of the home, etc.
Know that Independence-4-Seniors Home Care is always available to assist with the backup care needed to make certain you are able to care for yourself also – something that is very important for both you and the senior in your care. Contact us online or call us at (630) 323-4665 to get more information and learn how we provide the kind of home care Burr Ridge and nearby communities in the Western Cook and DuPage County areas prefer most.