Promises, promises. It’s that time of year again where we stand in front of the mirror and tell ourselves that we’re going to do things better in the new year. Eat healthy. Exercise more. Quit bad habits. However, so many abandon their well-intended resolutions less than a month out and fall back into default mode. This year, let’s be different. Let’s make meaningful pledges to ourselves and stick with it.
How? The Washington Times recently published 6 key steps to keeping your resolution:
“Make your goals realistic and attainable.”
“Set both short-term and long-term goals.”
“Identify specific steps in your plan to achieve your goal.”
“State your intentions publicly, and enlist support.”
“Plan what you will do if you slip.”
“Celebrate your successes, and surround yourself with others who are on the road to success.”
This new year, Homecare Advocate encourages you make some resolutions of your own and to map out your road to success. We’ve compiled our own Top 5 Resolutions lists for seniors and for caregivers that we hope you’ll include in your own personal pledge for 2012.
In addition to the Top 5 below, we hope you will also make involvement in civic affairs a resolution of yours. If you’re reading Homecare Advocate, odds are your life is impacted by homecare and you have a great story to tell. Our elected representatives need to hear from us and to know the importance of homecare. Every person counts, and it is an individual responsibility we each bear. Embrace the freedoms granted to us by our founding fathers to participate in the political process and help shape our futures.
TOP 5 RESOLUTIONS for SENIORS
Exercise your body and your mind. Research shows numerous physical and psychological benefits; plus, this is great preventative care.
Eat nutritious meals. This is the fuel that gets your body through the day; make it count!
Fall-proof your home. Be proactive about your living situation and make it a safer place. Read our Fall Prevention Series for more ideas.
Get your affairs in order. Gather and organize important documents such as insurance, will, financial information, auto & home.
Increase your social activities and engagement with others. Visit a senior center or religious group; connect with others and make new friends.
TOP 5 RESOLUTIONS for CAREGIVERS
Make some YOU time. You’ll find that you’re a better caregiver when you’ve had a break!
Learn to say no. Over-committing wears you thin and can lessen the quality of the help you are providing.
Ask for help–and accept it. Get assistance with the caregiving responsibilities, be it from family or a professional company.
Take care of yourself physically and emotionally. Acknowledge and address your needs instead of solely focusing on the person you care for.
Get educated about your loved one’s illness, disability, or disease.
May you each have a beautiful beginning to the coming year. See you in 2012!
::AWP::
Special thanks to Laurie Edwards-Tate for Communities at WashingtonTimes.com for her contribution to editorial content.
“The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.” –Lao Tzu
We’re at the end of Homecare & Family Caregivers Month, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of our patients, industry colleagues, and friends who have participated in raising awareness of homecare and the caregivers who make this all possible.
It’s a privilege to get to work in a rewarding industry that touches people’s lives in such a personal and meaningful way. Though November may be soon over, we should continue the celebration and acknowledgement of how homecare helps people live independently in their homes, with their families, connected to the community, and with a higher quality of life.
I’ll continue collecting stories from our Homecare Advocate readers over the next several months on how homecare, medical equipment, and/or caregivers have made an impact on their lives. Millions of people are impacted each day by homecare, and everyone has a unique story to tell. Let us be the vehicle to have your voice heard. Please send us your story by e-mailing it to advocate(at)lambertshc.com.
Next up, our December focus on how to be Home for the Holidays. Send us your questions on traveling, preparing temporary spaces for disabled guests, great gifts for grandparents, and anything else you have coming up. If we select your question to expand on for one of our December posts, we’ll mail you a $5 Lambert’s gift card!
Did you know that 1 in every 4 Americans is providing unpaid care for a friend or family member who is disabled, aged, or ill? These people, called informal family caregivers, do our country a great service and provide an estimated $306 billion of free care each year, saving our Medicare and Medicaid systems tremendously. They are motivated out of love, duty, and responsibility, but the stress can leave them feeling isolated, trapped, and even depressed if they don’t learn how to manage their responsibilities. “Caregiver Burnout” is a significant issue many caregivers struggle with (you can learn more about its symptoms here and here). We need to combat this by caring for the caregiver!
7 Tips for Caregivers
in celebration of National Family Caregivers Month!h
“Caregivers tell me they want to keep their loved ones at home. What caregivers do to make that happen is often heroic and always inspirational. We owe them so much.” –Kathy Greenlee, US Assistant Secretary for Aging.
1. Educate Yourself.
Learn more about who you are as a caregiver and what the person you’re providing care for needs. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, self-identified caregivers are more proactive about seeking resources to assist their care recipient and have increased confidence when talking to healthcare professionals about their loved one’s care. Learn about the resources available to help you and the technologies available to make your role easier. For instance, did you know that the Family & Medical Leave Act allows you to take up to 12 weeks off (unpaid) for care of an immediate family member? To learn more about caregiving, your role, and the resources available to help you, visit the Family Caregivers Alliance, the National Family Caregivers Association, and the National Family Caregivers Support Program.
2. Speak Out.
Don’t silently suffer. Talk to a professional about your caregiving duties and the physical, emotional, and psychological stress you experience. Be honest about what you’re going through and the symptoms you experience. Likewise, don’t be afraid to ask questions on behalf of the one you’re providing care for. It’s also important to openly discuss hard topics like death, independence, driving, funeral plans, and more. Pre-planning helps deal with these difficult issues outside the heat of the moment. Engage the care recipient if his/her cognitive reasoning is still sound and learn their wishes. Bring your family into the fold and share what’s happening and what you need from them.
Get some you time. Have you ever been on a commercial airplane before? If so, you’ve heard the instructions to put on your own oxygen mask before helping the person next to you. Same is true in caregiving. You must take care of yourself so you can take care of another. And part of that is carving out time where you are relieved from your caregiving responsibilities. Spend time with your friends, go on a church retreat, walk around the block, meditate. Whatever it is, separate yourself physical and mentally from your duties of providing care. And remember, this is not a luxury, this a vital component of preventing caregiver burnout. There is nothing to be guilty or ashamed of. If you don’t have a family member or friend who can provide respite care, call your local Office on Aging. Our local agency offers services through Project LIVE and the Senior Companion Program. (I’m on the advisory council for the Senior Companion Program and can attest to the caring and quality individuals that volunteer to help out. Wonderful resource.)
4. Build a Support Team.
Engage family members and friends to share the responsibilities of caregiving. If they offer to help, accept it. Tell them specifically how they can help and what they can do. Supplement their help with paid services from a qualified agency if needed. Personal Support Service Agencies (PSSAs) can provide non-medical care for your loved ones. Tennessee does a great job protecting seniors by mandating that PSSAs are licensed and uphold standards like background checks and training in order to offer services to Tennessee recipients.
5. Connect with Other Caregivers.
Join a support group or check out forums online that connect people across the country that share your experience. To share your experience and learn about others is the best way to help prevent you from feeling isolated. You are not alone. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own. You can join Family Caregiver Community to connect with other caregivers and learn valuable insight on caregiving matters. Also consider visiting forums and blogs such as The Caregivers Voice, San Diego Caregiver’s Blog, MS Caregivers Blog, and more provide great insight to the issues caregivers face on a daily basis. *If you have any additional blogs you suggest, e-mail us at advocate(at)lambertshc.com.
Each city will have its own support systems in place, but you can ask your local physician office, hospital, or Office on Aging for a list of various caregiver and bereavement support groups. I also like this site as a helpful tool to locate local support groups and more in your city.
6. Stay Healthy.
Eat healthy meals, get exercise, learn how to lift properly, and get enough sleep. All of that pulling, stretching, and lifting can take a toll on your back and body. Do strength training and eat a variety of vegetables to build strength. Another perk of eating right and exercising? Endorphins. These guys will make your body physically and mentally strong and ready for the day ahead. See our earlier Homecare Advocate Nutrition post for more information on healthy meals you can incorporate into your diet. Keep in mind that our bodies rebuild themselves while we’re asleep, so make it a priority to get your standard 6-8 hours of sleep each night. Getting rest will keep you alert when it counts and minimize your risk of making mistakes with medication and more.
7. Allow Grieving and Healing.
This is undoubtedly a difficult but necessary part of caregiving: letting go. Caregivers are dealing with the loss of a loved one as well as the total change in their own lives as they adjust to life after caregiving. Many caregivers feel torn over their conflicting thoughts of guilt and grief, struggling between “I should’ve…”, “had I only…” and, the quiet relief of the stressful caregiving finally coming to an end. Accept all of these thoughts and feelings. Allow yourself to grieve. Allow yourself to be in this moment but grant yourself permission to grow beyond it. Depression after your caregiving role ends is common, and the healing process takes time. If needed, join a support group that focus on bereavement and help teach how to start life once more after death. Life after death is not a linear path, but little by little, day by day, you will learn how to create a life of purpose and meaning. You will rediscover your identity outside of your former caregiving role, and you will see what beauty lies ahead.
“What we often do not realize is that at the end of human life exists a new beginning, not just for our loved ones but for us as well.”–Caregiver Dorothy Womack.
