Your senior’s situation can change very quickly. She may suddenly call you and let you know that she needs a lot more help than you realized and suddenly you’re in the role of her family caregiver.

Find out What Your Senior Needs

Your senior may be asking you for some extra help, but it’s time to determine what all she needs. Is her health changing or is she simply feeling more frail and unable to handle the tasks of daily life? Sit down with your elderly family member and talk openly about what is going on with her. You may want to also talk with her doctor to get an overview of her health issues at this stage.

Make a Plan to Incorporate Caregiving into Your Life

Very few people can simply fit caregiving into their lives without juggling some responsibilities and obligations around. There may need to be only a few adjustments or this might be a huge change for you. Regardless, you need to know what you’re going to do in order to make the space for caregiving to happen.

Find Some Support for Yourself

No one just knows all the ins and outs of being a caregiver. The fastest way to shorten your learning curve is to meet other caregivers and learn all that you can about being a caregiver. Support groups, both online and in person, are an excellent space in which to meet other caregivers and to learn as much as possible about caregiving. If your aging family member has a specific health issue, there are likely support groups just for that, too.

Look at How You’re Taking Care of You

Self-care is absolutely essential as a caregiver. If your self-care plan is already a little bit sketchy, you need to do some work on that right away. On the other hand, if you already have some solid self-care plans in place, you may only need to tweak them to account for your new role as a caregiver. Take the time to assess your sleep habits, what you’re eating, and whether you’re moving enough each day. If you haven’t been to your own doctor, schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

That first moment when you realize that you’re a caregiver can be a big shock to your system. But if you take everything one step at a time, you might just realize that you’ve been slowly easing into a caregiving role for a lot longer than you think.

For Caregiver Services in Memphis TN, please contact the caring staff at Personal Care Services MidSouth today!