Taking on caregiver-related tasks without assistance from family and friends could be detrimental to your health. Therefore, you should develop strategies to delegate responsibilities. Below you’ll find tips that can help you get others involved in your senior parent’s care.
1. Split Tasks Equally
To reduce the risk of caregiver burnout and persuade others to step up, don’t put more on some family members than others. Requiring more from some caregivers could make them feel disrespected and angry. Try to split the tasks equally, giving all caregivers time to manage their personal and professional commitments and maintain social lives.
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2. Base Responsibilities on Strengths
If your brother is good at cooking, he could be in charge of meal preparation. If your sister has more free time during the day, she can help with running your loved one’s errands. The objective is to base caregiving tasks on everyone’s strengths and availability to make the role less hectic and more manageable.
3. Be Open to Change
All family caregivers should be able to voice their opinions honestly and openly, especially if they’re taking on a significant portion of the caregiving duties. Remain open to suggestions from others, even if you have the legal responsibility for making decisions about your parent’s care. When you’re receptive to helpful ideas, your family and friends will view you as easygoing and respectful. These are characteristics that could attract more help, which lightens your caregiver load.
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4. Keep Everyone Informed
Hosting weekly or monthly meetings can keep your family members up to date on your loved one’s health. During these gatherings, you can discuss the current schedule and make changes as necessary. These meetings should be consistent, so if a family member is unable to attend in person, consider using video chats and other options to make sure his or her voice is heard during the discussions.
5. Ask a Doctor to Speak with the Family
Sometimes siblings don’t step up because they’re unaware of how serious a situation might be. For instance, if your loved one is diagnosed with dementia but still remembers the names of familiar people, places, and objects, your siblings may think everything is great. However, they may be oblivious to issues like falls, restless nights, and combative behavior, which could be stressful for you. Therefore, you should have your loved one’s doctor speak with everyone to go over the symptoms of the condition and the importance of family support.
6. Use Professional Home Care Services
Personal schedules or living a long distance away could keep others from helping as much as they should, but using options like home care can prevent you from taking on the caregiver role alone. You can use these services as often as you want, based on your loved one’s needs and your family’s finances. With professional home care services, you can have peace of mind knowing your loved one’s safety isn’t compromised while you’re away at work or handling other commitments.
Leesburg in-home care professionals can assist seniors with a wide array of daily tasks, offering family caregivers the chance to focus on other personal responsibilities or take a break to prevent burnout. Whether it’s for a few hours a day or a few days a week, home care is the perfect solution for family caregivers who are feeling overwhelmed. Call Assisting Hands Home Care to learn more about our flexible and customizable senior care plans.
