Elder Care in Alexandria VA: Caregiver Fears

Small Fears Can Be Helpful

Smaller fears can help to keep you alert, especially when they’re reasonable. For example, you might be afraid that your senior could fall. So you go through her house and eliminate tripping hazards that could make her fall. That’s a fear that helps you to do something positive. Other fears are less reasonable and are usually so big that you can’t do much to alleviate or remove those fears.

Evaluate Whether Your Fears Are Reasonable or Not

If you’re dealing with a lot of different fears, take some time and write them out in a list. Everything that comes to mind, jot it down. Some of those fears may strike you immediately as reasonable, while others might be just as quickly recognizable as something you can’t do much about. Put each fear in one of the two categories.

Use a “What If” Exercise

Take one of your larger and less reasonable fears and try a “what if” exercise with it. This means that you’re going to ask yourself what if the situation you’re afraid of happens. Keep going. Each time that you get to another conclusion that feels like a stopping point, ask what if that happens. You might realize a few things after doing this activity. First, you might find that you do have valid solutions to this problem. More common is that you might realize that these fears are extremely unlikely to happen at all because the reality is quite different.

Set up Contingency Plans

For the reasonable fears, it’s time to put some contingency plans in motion. “What if” exercises can help you do this, too. For example, if you’re concerned about taking time away from your senior because you’re convinced something will go wrong, then it’s a good idea to hire elder care providers to take over for you. Find backups for your backups so that you’ve always got a person and a plan on which to rely.

Talk to Someone if You Need More Help

Setting some of these bigger fears aside can be really difficult. If you need more help with that, look for a counselor or therapist who can help you to work through those feelings. Leaving them alone can cause them to become even bigger, which can interfere with being a caregiver.

If you’re constantly afraid of what might happen or what has happened in the past, you can’t be an effective caregiver. Fear shuts everything down and keeps you from having the clear head that you need in order to make solid decisions for your elderly family member.

If you or a loved-one are considering Elder Care in Alexandria, VA, please contact the caring staff at Quality Health Services LLC.  Call today 703-910-7081.

Elderly Care Leesburg VA: Caregiver Tips

Talk with Your Loved One and Her Doctor

You’ve just found out that there’s a need for extra care, so it’s time to sort out what that means. Talk to your aging family member, if you’re able to do so, as well as her doctor. Determining what’s going on now and what’s likely to happen down the line gives you a lot of information that you’ll need to develop a care plan for your senior.

Form a Team of Other Family Members

If your senior has other family members in the area, figure out which of them are able to help out with her care. They may not be able to devote as much time and energy to the task as you can, but they can help you to carry some of the load. Even if they can only help a little bit now, don’t get discouraged. Remember that situations and plans do change and they may be able to help more down the line.

Develop a Plan

With what you know about your senior’s needs and her future health, as well as your current care team status, you can start to put a plan together. Having a plan for who takes care of what and how your senior’s needs are going to get met allows you to keep everyone informed. It also establishes a routine that helps you to meet the other obligations in your life.

Find a Support System for Yourself

No matter how much other help you have, you need your own support system. This might mean attending a support group meeting for other caregivers once a week or it might mean leaning on home care providers as you learn more about caring for your aging adult. There’s nothing wrong with getting as much help together as you possibly can.

Remember to reevaluate your plans regularly and see what’s working and what isn’t. This helps you to ensure that you’re meeting changing needs as well as you can.

If you or a loved-one are considering elderly care in Leesburg, VA, please contact the caring staff at Quality Health Services LLC.  Call today 703-910-7081.

Home Care Services in Fairfax VA: Caregiver Tips

Here are tips for staying positive when you simply do not feel positive.

Vent Your Frustrations With Your Siblings

Talk to your siblings about the current situation. If you’re not happy with the way things are going, tell them. See if the schedules can be rearranged so that you get extra time off. You may decide that the arrangement doesn’t work and that elderly care services are needed to make sure your dad gets the quality care he needs.

Sign Up for a Caregiver’s Support Group

Surrounding yourself with others who have been in your shoes will help. Join a support group where you can discuss your frustrations and get help from others. There are general caregiver support groups and specialized ones for specific diseases. If your dad has Alzheimer’s, look for a support group for Alzheimer’s caregiver. If he has cancer, look for a cancer caregiving support group.

Do Something That Makes You Feel Good

One of the easiest ways to stay positive is by doing something that makes you feel good. If you love seeing someone smile after getting a surprise, anonymously pay for someone’s coffee at the local coffee shop and then sit back and watch that person’s face. Cook your dad’s neighbor a dozen cookies or bring him his favorite lunch.

Turn on Music and Dance

Even if you have no sense of rhythm, put on some dance music and dance off your frustration. It’s a good way to expend stress. Your dad can join you if his mobility doesn’t limit his movements. If he can’t get up, he can dance along in his chair.

Enlist Help for Your Own Respite

You’ll need regular breaks if you’re going to keep a positive attitude. If your sibling’s schedule doesn’t match up to times when you could join friends or go out with your significant other, look into professional caregivers.

Elderly care services cover respite. Get out for an hour or two with the help of a caregiver. When you return, you’ll be refreshed and ready to provide your dad’s care.

If a short break isn’t enough, look into elderly care for longer breaks. Leave your dad with a caregiver for a whole day while you relax, unwind, and get back to a positive frame of mind. Call today to learn more about taking a break from family caregiving.

If you or a loved-one are considering hiring home care services in Fairfax, VA, please contact the caring staff at Quality Health Services LLC.  Call today 703-910-7081.