If you’re feeling somewhat discouraged in your role as caregiver, take heart; you are in good company. Providing home care for aging parents is probably one of the more complex roles we can hold: extremely gratifying on the one hand, while simultaneously discouraging and ever-evolving, often leading to feelings of doubt about whether we’re up to the challenge and providing the best possible care.
It’s why so many battle against some or all of these kinds of caregiver emotions and feelings:
- Guilt: Perhaps you may feel like you are not doing as much as you should to aid your parent, that you’re selfish for wanting time away to yourself, or that you are inadequate to provide the help your senior loved one needs.
- Helplessness: There are some circumstances when you simply cannot solve the problems your loved one is experiencing.
- Anger or frustration: This can be directed at yourself, other family members who seem as though they are not doing their fair share, or even at your older parent for causing you to be in this situation.
- Resentment: Extremely common when being a caregiver for someone who hurt or betrayed you in the past, it is easy for those feelings to resurface when that person is now in your care.
- Hopelessness: When a senior faces a difficult diagnosis, for example, a chronic or terminal condition, feelings of despair can settle in that may lead to despondency or depression.
Acknowledging these feelings, and accepting they are completely normal, is a good place to begin. The following tips can also help:
- Share your feelings. Find a trusted friend, family member, or professional counselor to vent to, someone who can provide an alternate perspective and help you to adjust your thinking to a more positive slant.
- Consider the advice you would offer a friend. Sometimes, stepping out of your circumstances and picturing how you’d react to another individual dealing with these feelings will offer valuable insight. Offer the same encouragement you would provide to another to yourself.
- Find a care partner. Using the services of an experienced care provider, like Independence-4-Seniors Home Care, enables you to achieve a healthy life balance – an element that is paramount to every caregiver.
Reach out to our trained, experienced, and compassionate care team by calling (630) 323-4665 and let us walk alongside you with the top quality, customized care services your loved one deserves – allowing you to take much-needed time for self-care. We’re always available to answer any questions you have, to provide practical resources specific to the issues you are facing, and also to provide a free-of-charge in-home consultation to share how we can help with senior home care DuPage County and the surrounding areas trust.