Caregiving does not have to be a drag all the time, no matter how you’re feeling right now. Try some of these ideas to put some more fun in the caregiving experience for you and your senior.
Look for the Little Joys
When you first think about finding the fun in caregiving, you might be thinking big. But what you need to be looking for are the little joys. Those moments that make you smile or that you remember later with family members and chuckle about are the ones you’re looking for right now. When you start looking for them actively, they’re a lot easier to find.
Music Is a Great Connector
Even if your elderly family member is nonverbal, music can be a fantastic way to connect with each other. Put on some of your senior’s favorite songs and watch her light up. For aging adults that are more active, you might find that you both get a mood boost when you incorporate more music into each day. Streaming options let you access tons of music that you might not have physically on hand and you can switch things up quickly.
Frame Everything as an Adventure
When everything looks like a challenge or a problem, that’s subconsciously how you’re going to face it. If you can reframe that and look at caregiving and everything that goes with it as an adventure, you can change your overall mindset. Going to the doctor or to the grocery store with your aging adult can take on a whole new feeling when you’re not looking at them as something that is going to be painful for you both.
Appreciate the Humor in Everything
Above all, you need to be able to see the humor in life. It’s totally understandable to find it difficult to find the humor in a terminal illness, but humor is going to help. Look for ways you and your senior can just be silly together. Start telling her jokes just to make her laugh. Dig deep and find those old funny family stories. Laughing together is going to do a lot for both of you.
If these tips feel impossible, it’s highly likely that you’re overwhelmed by caregiving and all that it’s asking of you right now. One of your best solutions might be to schedule some respite time with the help of elderly care providers. They can take over for you for a few hours and when you come back, the fun might be easier to find as a caregiver.
For more information about hiring Home Care Services in Pacific Beach, CA, call the friendly caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare who can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, at 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in La Jolla, CA, and the surrounding communities.
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