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Family members and friends who care for elderly relatives and friends frequently ignore their own needs. Some find themselves virtually homebound and consumed by their caregiving tasks. The best caregivers are those who take care of themselves while providing quality care for their relatives and friends. Whether you are providing round-the-clock direct care or coordinating others who do so, you are still the caregiver: you are responsible, to one degree or another, for another person’s well being. Who is a caregiver? A caregiver is a family or non-family member who is an informal provider of in-home and community care to an adult 60 years or older. The basic goals of caregiving are to ensure the care recipient’s quality of life, physical comfort, and safety. These goals can be accomplished in many ways. However, in setting goals as the caregiver, you should consider how caregiving is likely to affect other areas of your life. Through caregiving, you may feel a sense of accomplishment in helping your dependent relative and experience a new closeness in your relationship. However, no matter how loving the relationship, caregiving almost always involves some personal sacrifice and stress. The causes of stress vary with the caregiver and his or her responsibilities. What creates stress for you may not create stress for someone else. Once you know the sources of stress, you must determine which ones you can do something about and which ones are beyond your control. Experts agree on five basic strategies to help manage caregiving stress. They are:
All too often, caregivers place their own needs last. Helping an elderly relative or friend should not mean giving up all activities and relationships with other people. Taking breaks from caregiving is essential for both full-time and part-time caregivers. You have a right-and even a responsibility-to take time away from caregiving. Multiple resources are available and vary between communities. Some of the programs require a fee, which may be calculated on a sliding scale that is determined by your ability to pay for them. Other services may be free or request a voluntary donation because they are provided by volunteers, state or local government, or charitable organizations. Also for a fee, a professional manager can arrange for care and review financial, medical and legal issues. For more information, visit the Web site of the National Association of Geriatric Care Managers at www.caremanager.org. For caregivers who live outside of their care recipient’s area, Eldercare Locator is available at 1-800-677-1116, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, to provide information about programs and services. As a caregiver, you should be aware of the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. This act may entitle you up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a year to care for the elderly parent or relative. Ask your employer for further information. Please contact us at 205-325-1416 or use our Information Request Form if you need further information on these services. |
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