As a family caregiver, how much experience have you had in the past? You might be assisting an aging parent, grandparent, sibling, or even your spouse. Whoever it is that’s depending on you, if you are like most family caregivers out there, you don’t have very much experience at all.
That’s not really a problem, though. That’s because home care can be a valuable asset, even if you continue to provide some level of support and assistance to that senior.
But ask yourself, are you the best equipped person for this job?
You might be. This isn’t an attack on you and your abilities. It is certainly not an attack on your love and affection for this person who needs help. The thing that often gets lost in the mix of stress and pressure placed on the caregiver’s life, especially when it is a family caregiver, is just how beneficial they are for this senior at this stage in his or her life.
Not every family caregiver is the best suited for these types of jobs. Sometimes you have to step back and analyze the situation rationally and honestly.
When you do that, you may come to realize that no, you aren’t the best person for the job. And, in fact, you might already understand that. You might have realized that a long time ago. But this senior has needed help and you are the only one who had the time, lived close enough, and stepped forward to be that level support he or she required.
In reality, you are not the only one.
Home care agencies operate in nearly every region across the country. They have experienced and dedicated aides ready to step in and provide support when family caregivers get overwhelmed, don’t have the time they thought they would, or are finding it challenging to maintain a good, positive, healthy relationship with the senior while also trying to be there caregiver.
Look to home care as a supplement. You don’t have to consider home care as a replacement. If you don’t want to do this anymore, you don’t have to. You are not under any legal or even moral obligation to continue being a caregiver for an aging parent or other loved one.
Most people do it out of a sense of duty and responsibility and love. Those are wonderful traits and characteristics, but if you are overwhelmed or don’t have experience, a home care aide might actually have some insights that benefit not just you, but the senior who depends on support.
