Month: January 2020

How to Overcome Isolation When You Are a Caregiver

Posted on by Martin

Being a caregiver is sometimes a lonely job. You may feel confined, restricted, shut away from the activities, the people, and the mental stimulation that you enjoy. As the companion for someone with unique challenges and needs, you may not see friends and other family members for long periods of time; and as a result, your own mental health may suffer.

It’s important to recognize the dangers of isolation and to take steps to provide yourself with an outlet and some relief, so you can continue to live a full, satisfied, and happy life. Discover how to overcome isolation when you are a caregiver.

Find a Support Group

Sometimes, just talking about the caregiving experience can be a relief. You need some people around you who understand exactly what you’re going through, who have been there too or are currently living the same experience.

Check online to find a local support group for caregivers, and try to attend meetings in person if those are offered. If not, connecting with other caregivers in an online support group can be just as helpful.

Reconnect with Relatives and Friends

When you first began your role as a caregiver, you may have been so overwhelmed with the new reality that you let other relationships slip. Now that you’ve gotten used to the tasks of caregiving, try to reestablish some of those relationships.

If you’ve drifted away from certain friends or relatives and you want to reconnect, try reaching out with a text, a phone call, or an email. You may be able to find time to meet for coffee or lunch. If you can’t leave the house due to caregiving responsibilities, see if the person would be willing to come over for a visit. Skype, video calls, and social media provide ways for you to stay in touch with loved ones even if they’re far away or unavailable to meet in person.

Develop a Hobby

Hobbies can be expensive, and some caregivers are struggling with a lack of funds as well as a feeling of isolation. However, there are a number of hobbies you can pursue that don’t involve a lot of upfront cost.

Writing can be an outlet for a variety of emotions and experiences. You may find it therapeutic to journal, jot down some poetry, or begin crafting a novel. Whether you do it just for fun or treat it as a more serious creative effort, writing is an excellent way to keep your mind active and engaged during long, isolated hours in the home. You can also find writers’ groups, both local and online, to provide extra social interaction. If you’d rather read than write, seek out a local book club.

Crafting, knitting, or sewing are other hands-on hobbies that provide tangible results without too much up-front cost. You can find supplies at thrift stores or dollar stores, and if you practice enough, you may even be able to sell some of your work on websites like Etsy to make a bit of extra income. You may even find local art fairs where you can enjoy some social interaction and sell a few items. The best part is, you can easily set aside your crafting work to return to caregiving duties, and then pick it up again later when you have more time.

Painting, model-building, wood-carving, jewelry-making, music, reading, calligraphy, origami, photography, cooking, crocheting, and leather-crafting are all hobbies you can do from home. Experiment with a hobby you enjoy as a way to give yourself a mental outlet and connect with others who share the same interest.

Attend Local Events

If you have a bit of disposable income, and you’re able to get away from the house now and then, try to find some interesting events to attend. Does your city have a community theater? You can probably find fun plays, musicals, and other performances to enjoy at a reasonable cost, and you just might meet a delightful new friend.

Many cities and towns have local spots where you can enjoy live music, good food, and a few laughs with friends, old or new. Karaoke nights, poetry slams, and local band performances are all fun ways to interact with others and meet new people.

If you or the person you care for has a dog, you can find ways to become part of your local pet owners’ community. Parks, boardwalks, doggie play zones, obedience classes, and pet competitions all provide outlets for connection and activity.

Participate in a Faith Community

Some caregivers find comfort in being part of a religious community. You can participate in services, interfaith gatherings, and church potlucks or barbecues. Just being around people who share your faith or worldview may give you the emotional boost you need to continue caregiving throughout the rest of the week.

Exercise Regularly

Did you know that exercising regularly boosts your mood and energy levels? When you’re weary from caregiving, you may not feel like exercising—but trust the research, because once you begin a regular exercise regimen, you’ll actually gain more energy instead of feeling wiped out. Your mood may improve, and you may notice that you’re sleeping better. Plus, your heart and lungs will benefit.

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring! In fact, you can make it interactive or entertaining for you and the person you’re caring for. Put on some peppy music or a dance video and dance around the room! Play an engaging exercise video or try a YouTube yoga channel. If there’s a treadmill or exercise bike available in the home, watch a favorite TV show while running or riding. Even something as simple as going up and down the steps a few extra times or taking a walk can be healthy, releasing tension and relieving a little of the sadness or lethargy you might feel as a caregiver.

Take Time to Celebrate You

As a caregiver, it’s easy to make it all about the person you’re caring for. Selfless, kind-hearted caregivers are rock stars in our book, and we believe that it’s healthy to celebrate yourself occasionally for the difficult, important work you’re doing.

When family or friends praise you, accept those compliments. Celebrate daily moments of success. Identify milestones in your caregiving experience and assign a celebratory activity or personal reward to those achievements. You deserve recognition for the hard work you’re doing every day.

Find Reliable Respite Care

For many of the out-of-the-house activities, you may need to find someone to take over your duties for a couple of hours so you can take a break and get some much-needed socialization. Finding respite care can be difficult for many at-home caregivers, due to cost, availability, and other concerns. However, it’s important to remember that prioritizing your own mental health and happiness is well worth a bit of extra investment.

If you need a break as a caregiver, it’s okay to hire someone to take over the responsibilities for a while. At Community Home Health Care we have an experienced, caring staff of highly trained in-home caregivers. Our registered nurses and home health aides are happy to provide medical assistance, along with kind-hearted personal care. Explore our website and fill out the online form to receive more information about our services, or call (845) 425-6555 and we’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

 

How to Have a Successful First Day with a New In-Home Caregiver

Posted on by Martin

Hiring a caregiver to help with your loved one can be an immense relief in the long run; but at first, you may find it slightly stressful. Introducing someone new into your life is a stretching experience, and an adjustment phase is normal and expected. With a little time, communication, and patience, you’ll find that your in-home caregiver becomes a welcome support and relief for your family.

If you’re hiring help for a loved one, whether it’s an elderly parent, a child, a disabled partner, or a recovering relative, it’s important to start things out right. Explore our tips for how to have a successful first day with a new in-home caregiver.

Discuss the Caregiver’s Arrival

Before your caregiver arrives, speak with the person in your home who will be receiving care. Depending on their level of cognitive understanding or their memory capabilities, you may have to simplify your explanation or repeat it a few times.

Talk about the person who will be coming over. Express excitement about their arrival and explain how helpful they will be. Describe each task that the caregiver will be performing so that the person receiving care knows what to expect.

You may also want to clarify what the caregiver is not responsible for. It’s important to begin the new caregiving relationship with open communication about responsibilities and boundaries.

Give a Tour of the Home

Your caregiver should have visited the home before, but if for some reason that hasn’t happened, take a few minutes to familiarize them with the layout of the home. Explain any quirks your home may have, such as hot water and cold water knobs reversed, or a fan that doesn’t work, or similar challenges.

If you don’t anticipate having enough time to give the full tour before you leave, write out the instructions or information on sticky notes. You can place these on cabinets, the fridge, the sink, or other areas where the caregiver may have problems or questions.

Talk about Family Preferences

You’ll also need to review house rules or habits that you may or may not have covered in a previous meeting. These items that aren’t necessarily directly related to the care plan—they’re more like preferences. Ideally, your caregiver should be eager to learn your family customs so he or she can make everyone more comfortable within the care plan.

Some in-home care experts suggest beginning with a basic list of top five preferences for the caregiver, and then once those become familiar, you can continue on from there. For example, if you want people to sanitize their hands or remove their shoes when entering the home, let the caregiver know. If you want the blinds left closed or open, verbalize that preference.

Keep in mind that your caregiver won’t know or remember all the details and habits of your home right away. It could take a few weeks for your caregiver to become accustomed to the way your family does things, and that’s all right. After all, the caregiver’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, health, and wellbeing of your loved one. The other elements of function within the home are important, but not as vital as that primary goal.

Try to Stay Flexible

On that note, remember to allow for some flexibility. The care plan you’ve developed is a guide, but as the new caregiver evaluates your loved one’s needs from a fresh perspective, the plan may need to change a little.

If small alterations smooth out the process and enable a better bond between caregiver and receiver, allow those changes if at all possible. The new caregiver may not relate to your loved one the same way you do; and while this can be jarring at first, it can also be a wonderful thing.

Sometimes the introduction of a new person into your loved one’s life can be rejuvenating and refreshing. Other times, it may be an exhausting experience for your loved one until they adjust and accept the new presence as normal. Your loved one may need extra rest and additional reassurances of love during or after the first few shifts with a new caregiver.

Showcase Your Loved One’s Personality

The new caregiver doesn’t know all the aspects of your loved one’s personality like you do. Maybe your elderly parent accomplished wonderful things throughout their life, won awards, built companies, or pursued interesting hobbies. Feel free to share those details with your in-home caregiver!

Getting that full, colorful picture of your loved one is so valuable to a caregiver who’s working on developing a bond with a patient. With those details and facts in mind, the caregiver will be better able to engage with your loved one. They’ll have more conversation topics to explore, and who knows—maybe they will discover a whole range of shared interests that they can discuss!

A good caregiver recognizes that the people in his or her care have full lives, rich personalities, and intrinsic value. They are worthy of joy, health, love, and empathy, and part of the caregiver’s role is to enable those beautiful things. No disability or age limitation can define who a person is! The right caregiver will take a holistic approach to your loved one’s needs, going beyond the basics of physical care and ensuring a better quality of life overall.

Express Concerns Clearly and Kindly

If you notice an issue with the method of care, or if you’ve perceived a conflict or miscommunication occurring, sit down and chat with the caregiver. In most cases, such little bumps are easily navigated with clear, open communication and a positive attitude of partnership.

Don’t feel obliged to keep quiet out of reserve or politeness! Your caregiver welcomes feedback and wants to know how to improve the caregiving process and customize it to your family. Most caregivers will want to do a debriefing of sorts after the first shift, to get your opinion on how things went. If the caregiver doesn’t suggest a brief review of the day, feel free to mention it so you can dialogue honestly about any struggles or issues that may have come up.

Review the Care Plan

Following that first day, the care plan may need to be tweaked; and as the weeks or months go on, further adjustments may be necessary. It’s important to tell the caregiver if you’d like changes to be made. If your caregiver approaches you with suggestions, listen and consider the ideas. Sometimes, rather than rejecting the changes immediately, you may want to think them over for a while. A day or two of consideration may help you understand why the caregiver is suggesting that change.

On the first day with a new caregiver, clarity and kindness are vital. Respect your new caregiver’s expertise while being honest about your own needs and preferences, as well as those of your loved one. With a mutual sense of respect and openness in place, the way is clear for a healthy bond to grow between the caregiver and your loved one. And you’ll find that you feel a stronger sense of partnership and support as you and the in-home caregiver work together to ensure a wonderful quality of life for those you love.

Do you have someone in your life who needs care and companionship? Community Home Health Care features an experienced, caring staff of trained in-home caregivers, including personal care aides, registered nurses, and home health aides. Explore our website and fill out the online form to receive more information about the medical assistance, personal care, and friendship we provide. You can also visit in person or call (845) 425-6555 with any questions you may have, and we’ll be happy to help.