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Caregivers La Costa CA: You Can Take Care of Your Own Needs and Still Be a Good Caregiver to Your Aging Loved One

Caregivers La CostaCaregiving is a very important role and can often times be quite the daunting task as our loved ones age. Fortunately, caregiving responsibilities don’t have to fall to a single person. When families are involved with taking care of a loved one it’s a great idea to split up needs between multiple people. Many times the role of caregiver is taken on by the family members that live with or close by the elderly. That doesn’t have to be the case though. There are many tasks that can be done from far away to ease the pressure and relieve those who are more involved.

How to Meet a Parent’s Needs

After the needs of your loved ones are listed out, start to plan on who will take on which tasks. You can base this on strengths, the amount of time each person can commit, and who has the best access to specific needs. A good start would be to consider the following points:

Tasks

  • Keeping everyone updated with important information
  • Managing everyone involved and ensuring things are getting done
  • Communicating with doctors and medical staff
  • Staying on top of bills and other finances
  • Everyday tasks

Capabilities

  • How much time can each person dedicate?
  • How far away does each person live?
  • Are you emotionally strong enough to cope with the time you can commit?
  • How will caregiving fit in with other responsibilities?

How to Coordinate Care

Take into consideration realistically what you’re capable of doing. If you’re working 12-hour days then you may not want to take on time-consuming tasks that require constant communication and updates. You may, however, be able to support someone with bigger responsibilities by taking a little off their plate to make it just a little bit easier. If you don’t live close enough to help in person, there are many ways long distance caregivers can help as well. Arranging for an in-home care service and handling finances are good ways to help from afar.

If the main family caregiver is a spouse or parent, make sure that they aren’t taking on too much. They may be hesitant to ask for help or feel like it’s their sole responsibility to take care of their loved one.  Hiring a professional caregiver to relieve them for a few hours a day or a couple days a week can give them a much needed break. It’s important that no one person be overwhelmed with their share of the care tasks. The senior parent would not want one of their children or relatives to put their own life on hold to care for them. You can still be a good caregiver and show love to your parent while taking care of your own needs, too.

For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents get to their annual appointments, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable caregivers in La Costa, CA, and the surrounding communities.

Brittnei Salerno

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