Day: August 10, 2023

*Get regular physical activity.
Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity — even in small increments — can boost your energy level. Exercise reduces stress, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and can help you keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at healthy levels. Walking is a great way to get started, even if you only walk around the yard.

*Maintain a heart-healthy diet.
A healthy diet will give you more energy. Eating well can help prevent other health problems, too. If you have to “eat on the run,” try to choose nutritious snacks.

* Make time for yourself.
Take time every day for an activity you enjoy, such as reading, walking, crafts, cooking or listening to music. Whatever makes you happy and relaxes you can be therapeutic. Keep humor in your life. It’s true — laughter is good medicine. Try to find humor in your life every day. Watch a silly TV program or go to a movie that tickles your funny bone. Find things to laugh about with the loved one in your care — that person needs joy, too!

* Get out and about.
At least once a week, break out of your routine and go somewhere enjoyable. Visit the local coffee shop, attend religious events, take a class, visit a friend or just wander around the mall. If your loved one needs constant attention, ask for help. It’s likely that someone will be happy to give up an hour or two a week so that you can get out for a breath of fresh air.

* Watch out for depression.
The demands placed on you as a caregiver can be difficult and stressful. If you are experiencing signs of signs of depression, talk to your health care professional. Often, depression can be managed with talk therapy or medication.

* Take care of business.
Keep your finances in check, work when you need to and don’t stop planning for the future. If you allow yourself to be totally immersed in your caregiver responsibilities, it can be harder to re-integrate into life later on. Keep living.

* Keep medical and dental appointments.
Do all you can to maintain your health. If you’re sick, you won’t be able to care for your loved one. Ask for help when you need it so you can get away for your own medical appointments and take care of your health and well-being.

* Think positive.
Take time every day to refresh your mind. Recognize your limitations and make peace with them. Let go of guilt. Pat yourself on the back for the job you’re doing. If you’re feeling guilty or angry, take a break.

* Stay connected with the outside world.
Don’t allow yourself to become isolated. Stay connected with family and friends, even if it’s just by phone or online. Talk to friends about something other than your role as a caregiver.

Desire

To be a great caregiver, you need to have the desire to learn all you can about performing the duties of a caregiver, the desire to perform those senior care duties to the best of your ability, and the desire to deliver care coupled with compassion.

Any agency you work with should help you learn about your duties and show you how to perform them, whether it be through training classes or shadowing another caregiver. But you have to bring the desire to learn, practice, and perform those duties with excellence.

The strongest desire you need to bring is your desire to be compassionate in your work – to truly care about your client’s well-being and put their needs above yours as you go through your day. Showing compassion to the person you’re caring for is more than just doing something for them; it’s showing them that you care about them while you’re doing it.

Dedication

The best caregivers are dedicated to their work. They see caregiving as a lot more than just a job or a paycheck; they see it as a calling. Being a professional caregiver isn’t easy work. A caregiver exerts a lot of physical and mental energy every day. They have to constantly be aware of what their client is doing or wants to do, how they’re feeling, and how they can help. This may entail sitting down and reading with a client or bustling around the kitchen as you prepare a meal for them.

To have that energy day in and day out takes dedication. Dedication to the client, dedication to your work, and dedication to representing your agency professionally. It’s that dedication that separates the good from the great.

Diligence

The Oxford Dictionary defines diligence as “careful or persistent work or effort.” Another way to say it is “work ethic.”

Being a caregiver requires a strong work ethic. You have to work a full day consistently; not just physically be there, but give all of yourself all day.

Part of your day requires exerting yourself physically as you care for a client. For example, you’ll often need to help them in and out of the bathtub or shower, move steadily from a bed to a chair, do light housekeeping around their home, or go grocery shopping with them.

You also have to be diligent to engage mentally and emotionally with your client every day. Older adults need mental stimulation, whether it be reading a book together, watching a game show, or playing a game of checkers or rummy.