No · Think that you are not a nurse. Overcoming the ups and downs of caring for the elderly can be a challenge, especially for newbies, but it's easier to manage it with the right strategies. Below, Saari and other experts share 10 common mistakes that can stress older caregivers and their clients, and how to correct the course so that both get the most out of working together. Private professional caregivers of older people are at greater risk of losing their jobs.
This is when the scope of a position you've accepted exceeds your intended role, says Kelly Smith, a nurse in her late 20s who owns and runs a private nursing agency, Nestcare, in Sarasota, Florida. It takes time to get out of burnout, so try to proactively avoid it. A coping tactic is to seek balance. To put it into practice, avoid overcommitting yourself to work.
If you plan to work 40 hours a week, for example, try to stick to this and keep limits on your time and energy, even if you feel guilty. If you have firm boundaries, you have more space to prioritize your health, happiness, and relationships outside of work. If you keep in mind these 10 things to avoid, your relationship between work and client can be more rewarding. As Smith concludes, “When caregivers are prepared for challenges, the benefits for the client and caregiver easily outweigh the difficulties.
Caring for a person with arthritis can be a major life change for many people, including the person receiving care. The Arthritis Society, in collaboration with people who provide or receive care to treat arthritis, and based on their opinions, developed 10 do's and don'ts of caring for others. Taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do as a caregiver. Caring is not easy either for the caregiver or for the person receiving the care.
It requires sacrifices and adjustments for everyone. Often, family caregivers must balance work with family life to dedicate time to these new responsibilities. On a daily basis, caregivers may be responsible for most of the palliative and personal care. Personal care activities include helping with several things that the patient can no longer do without help.
It's good for home health aides to remind customers that it's time to take medications and what medications to take. However, in most cases, they cannot administer medications directly. Drake points out that it's not appropriate for home health aides to provide medical services to clients, including specialized services, such as physical therapy and occupational therapy. Sadarangani says that, in general, attendees should not perform tasks such as administering injections or providing other medical treatments, unless they are properly trained or supervised.
Home health care aides can accompany you to medical appointments or to run errands. However, in most cases, they should not be the ones to provide transportation. Helpers “should not provide transportation without proper authorization and insurance coverage, as this can lead to liability issues in the event of accidents or injuries,” Sadarangani explains. What are all the things you do? Try to make a list, both for your own clarification and for other family members who may not be aware of your efforts. Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) seeks to improve the quality of life of caregivers through education, services, research and promotion.
While they may not have the same stressors as a primary caregiver, remote caregivers should also know when they may need help. You must do your own due diligence to ensure that the job or caregiver you choose is right for your needs and complies with applicable laws. Strong communication also lays the groundwork so that the concerns of a family caregiver or older caregiver are addressed in time, before problems arise. get worse.
If you feel overwhelmed by providing care, the last thing you think about is meeting your own needs. The primary caregiver may need additional support as they adjust to the person's absence and to living alone at home. One of the reasons caregivers don't get the help they need is because taking care of yourself is simply “one more thing you have to do.” Saari, who has dedicated much of her career to geriatric care and working in long-term care homes, has found that providing care can be more stressful if you care for an older adult who has certain types of medical conditions, such as cognitive impairment or dementia. There are several support networks for caregivers that can help you connect with others who are going through a similar experience.
You can lighten the burden on the primary caregiver by providing emotional support, taking on specific tasks, and even providing full-time care for a short period of time so that the primary caregiver can rest. Each state has specific rules for caregivers, so you can check the rules of your state's health department for more information. Information is available online, on websites about specific illnesses, in the Family Caregiver Alliance, through your medical providers, local agencies on aging, some employee assistance programs, support groups, centers for the elderly and your community. CaringInfo, a program of the National Alliance for Home Care, provides free resources to educate and empower patients and caregivers to make decisions about serious illnesses and end-of-life care and services.
