Companion Care at Home Gives Family Caregivers a Break
It can be exhausting to take care of a senior parent that aging in place, especially if that senior parent has a condition like Alzheimer’s, ALS, or Parkinson’s. Caregiver burnout is a very real thing that happens to thousands of adult children trying to care for a senor parent each year. There are lots of services like companion care at home that make it possible for family caregivers to take the break that they need from taking care of their senior parent to focus on their own health. They can also use that time to focus on other responsibilities like school, work, or caring for their children.
Schedule Days Off
When you are juggling a lot of different responsibilities and your schedule is always full, it can feel like you just don’t have the time to take off. It’s very easy to push your needs to the side when your senior parent, your child, or your partner needs something from you. So schedule days off for yourself. Go to your calendar and block off at least one day each week that is just for you. That time is for you to do whatever you want, and it’s time that no one can interrupt. Put it on the calendar so everyone can see you are not available on that day for anyone but yourself.
Make Time For Your Needs
Every adult needs to do some things to take care of themselves, but when you’re a caregiver often you will sacrifice your needs to take care of everyone else’s needs. But it’s important for you to take the time to do things like get your hair cut, go shopping for clothes or shoes, get your car’s oil changed, and make time to see your friends. You have a right to take time for yourself. In fact, if you don’t then you won’t be doing the best you can do for your family and friends. By hiring companion care at home, you can take better care of them if you are taking care of yourself first.
Spend Some Time Alone Each Day
When you are taking care of everyone else you also need some time each day to focus on yourself and relax. Stress management starts with taking some time to be alone, breathe, and process everything that you’ve experienced that day. Even if it’s just 30 minutes to take a bath or a shower each day you need some time alone every day to relax and process.
Exercise Daily
Often the last thing that you want to do after taking care of everyone else is exercise. How many days this week have you told yourself you’ll workout tomorrow? But exercise is important for both physical and mental health. Take at least 30 minutes per day for yourself to get some healthy exercise.