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Caregiver Self-Care When You Don’t Have Time
Caregiving

Caregiver Self-Care When You Don’t Have Time

by Kathy Macaraeg
written by Kathy Macaraeg

Caregivers rarely have time for self-care. Between regular “life” tasks and caring for another adult, there isn’t much time to practice self-care. While people harp on the importance of self-care, they rarely step in to give the caregiver time to actually practice self-care. So, many caregivers just drop self-care from their to do list. It’s the easiest thing to drop, yet it is critical to a caregiver’s well-being. Caregiver Self-Care When You Don’t Have Time
While the thought of adding one more thing to your to do list may be overwhelming, remember, if you don’t care for yourself, you can’t care for others. Operating at a level of near burnout can negatively impact your mental and physical health.

So how can you take care of yourself when your plate is already full? Practice self-care than can be done from home, quickly and cheaply. If the likelihood of getting hours of free time to take care of yourself is slim, Can you steel 5, 10, 20 minutes? Doing something for yourself, no matter how small, can reduce your stress levels and improve your health. Caregiver Self-Care When You Don’t Have Time

Here are some easy, cheap or free self-care activities you can start now.

If you have 5 minutes

  • Set the timer on your phone, close your eyes and just breathe. Even if your brain is racing through your to do list, you have at least stopped your body for a few minutes. Better yet, download the free Calm app to your cell phone, pop in some ear buds and do the “Breathe” program for as many minutes as you have to spare.
  • Take a few minutes to stretch. I have started doing a few simple stretches before I get into bed every night. It feels good to get the kinks out and helps me relax. My routine is pretty simple. I stretch my neck, hamstrings, quads and hips. Those are my tight spots, but you may have other areas that need a little more love.
  • Get fresh air. If you are driving somewhere, park a block or so away and walk. You’ll get a bit of exercise and fresh air.
  • Jot down a few things you are grateful for or a few goals. Having something to look forward to can brighten your spirits.
  • Play a game on your cell phone. I used to have a game called Brick Breaker on my phone that I would play whenever I was feeling anxious. I could play for just a few minutes to take my mind off of whatever was stressing me out.

If you have 10 minutes

  • Take a walk. Go outside and take a brisk 10 minute walk. Studies have shown that breaking up exercise into small bursts is beneficial to your overall health. You don’t need to carve out 30 minutes all at once.
  • Flip through a magazine or read a book. I have a tough time with this one as I am a huge bookworm, so 10 minutes doesn’t seem like long enough to get really into a book. A magazine is easier for me to dig into when I am short on time since I can get through an article or two in that amount of time.
  • Do a little browsing. If you are like me, you don’t get a lot of time to shop. Sometimes, if I have an extra 10 or 15 minutes, I go to a discount store like Ross or Marshalls and browse the shoes or home section. It’s just a nice little escape from my world.
  • Listen to music. Music can help lower stress levels so put on your headphones and blast your favorite tunes. You can probably fit two songs into your 10 minute break.
  • Sit down for a snack. If you are crazy busy, chances are you eat many meals and snacks on the run. Take 10 minutes to sit down and actually taste your food. It can be anything from a granola bar to yogurt. Just stop, sit down and eat it without popping up every few seconds to care for someone else.
  • If you have cable, visit the On Demand section and find an exercise routine that takes 10 minutes. There are several yoga and pilates videos, but I have also seen kickboxing videos that take 8 – 10 minutes. If you don’t have cable, visit YouTube and search for a 10 minute exercise video or meditation.

If you have 20 or 30 minutes

I can’t imagine having this much free time regularly, but if you can squeeze it in once a week, these are great ways to rejuvenate:

  • Take a long, hot bath. If you can manage to fit this in, schedule in a hot bath 30 minutes before bedtime so you can go to bed relaxed.
  • Try a yoga video. You can find a 30 minute yoga video on YouTube or on your cable network’s On Demand section.
  • If yoga isn’t your thing, find some form of exercise that is. You can do a kickboxing video or dance workout. Get your heart pumping.
  • Escape with a book. My favorite hobby, by far, is reading. I forego television to read. Reading allows you to escape to another time or place and step away from your troubles.
  • Embrace a hobby. Have you wanted to learn to sew or knit? Do you enjoy coloring? Use your 20 or 30 minutes to dig into a new or old hobby.

 

It may seem near impossible to scrape together some time for yourself when there is so much to get done in the day, but it is so important to your well-being to try. If you struggle to carve out time for self-care, here are some little things you can do to free up time:

  • Stop checking social media so frequently. Set aside time to check in with friends and family on social media and then put the phone down. You’ll be able to save at least 5 minutes.
  • Learn to say no. This is a hard one for most people. We all want to please people, but sometimes, you need to weigh your options. Will what you say “yes” to be more important than what you are giving up? Just say no if the benefit does not outweigh the cost. As they say, “no” is a complete sentence.
  • Can you multi-task? Do you need to get your mother’s prescription from the pharmacy? Download a reading app on your cell phone and read a book while you wait in line. Park a block away from the pharmacy so that you can squeeze in a walk. Invite a friend over to batch cook with you so that you can spend time with someone who makes you feel better while you get through your chores.

 

Self-care is essential to your well-being. How can you squeeze it in and what are your favorite activities?

Caregiver Self-Care When You Don’t Have Time

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Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency
Caregiving

Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency

by Kathy Macaraeg
written by Kathy Macaraeg

One of the biggest challenges family caregivers have is handing over the caregiving reigns. Many times, they’re overwhelmed and have too much on their plate but handing over such an important role as caregiving can be upsetting. Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency
That being said, sometimes it is in a family’s best interest to hand off caregiving tasks. Between managing household tasks in two homes and helping aging parents remain safe at home, the never-ending to do list can be too much for one person. While it can be expensive to hire an in-home caregiver, there are less expensive tasks you can outsource to simplify your life.

  1. Errands: Running to the post office, grocery store, pharmacy, etc. etc. etc. can be time consuming. Between the driving and the waiting in line, you can lose hours a week. There are errand services that allow you to outsource these tasks for a relatively low cost. You can also hire a high school or college student to run some of these simple errands. If you don’t have the money to pay someone, do you have a family member or friend who you can trade errands with? Perhaps they pick up your groceries one week and you do theirs the next week. Get creative to find ways to reduce your load. Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency
  2. Meals: I have posted some tactics for eating healthy when you’re busy, but if meals are truly dragging you down, there are ways to outsource the task. Sign your parent up for Meals on Wheels to have one meal taken off their plate. You can also do meal trades with family or friends. Basically, you team up with a family and each cook one extra family meal per week (double your recipe) and share it with each other. You’ll each cook one less time per week. And finally, if you have room in your budget, you can purchase meal delivery programs or meal prep services. Some examples are Dream Dinners (you do the prep, freeze and cook later), Blue Apron, Plated or Hello Fresh (ingredients delivered for you to cook). These services can be pricey, but they’ll save you from grocery shopping and much of the time-consuming prep work is done for you.
  3. Grocery Shopping: Have you tried grocery delivery services? This is a great way to save at least an hour of time per week. You can shop online, set up your delivery time and have your groceries delivered to your door. I know many long-distance caregivers who do this for their elderly parents to ensure that they have food in their fridge. I personally have used Vons.com and Amazon Prime Now. They both charge a small delivery fee but in both cases, I have been extremely pleased with the quality of produce, which was always my concern about trying it out. You can even specify how you prefer your items. For example, I prefer to purchase green bananas because I get a lot of bananas and don’t want them to go bad before we can eat them. You can specify that.

If you have a larger budget, or siblings who can contribute financially, here are some other caregiving tasks that you can outsource. Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency

  1. Paid Caregiver: Even if you intend to be the main source of care for your aging parent, you can hire someone to come in to assist with some of the more challenging caregiving tasks or to provide respite care. Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency
  2. House Cleaning Service: Whether you hire a service for your home or your parent’s home, getting help with cleaning will take a huge load off your shoulders.
  3. Transportation Provider: Unfortunately, in some cities, there aren’t a lot of safe, reliable transportation services available for seniors, but if you happen to live in a community where there is a good transportation service, consider enlisting them for some of your parent’s social outings. Social isolation can lead to depression, so while this may be low on your already packed to do list, it is important to your parent’s well-being.
  4. Companionship: As I stated, social isolation can lead to depression or an increase in health concerns. If your parent is alone for most of the week, consider hiring a senior companion – there are some individuals and services that specialize in being a companion to seniors – or enrolling your parent in an adult day care or activities at their local senior center.

You may not be able to hire all of the services, but even adding just one or two to your life can give you a bit of time to take better care of yourself or practice self-care.
Juggling Caregiving in the Sandwich Generation

Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency

Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency Delegate Caregiving Tasks to Save Time, Maximize Your Efficiency
 
 
 
 

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Personal Consulting for Seniors
Caregiving

Senior Respite Helps Caregivers

by Kimberly Johnson
written by Kimberly Johnson

Senior Respite Helps Caregivers

Senior Respite Helps CaregiversCaregiving is a very hard job. The Center for Disease Control has reported that caregivers end up suffering a lot because of all they do.

  • 35% of caregivers believe it’s hard to find time for themselves
  • 29% suffer emotional and physical stress
  • 54% report that their health is worse
  • 29% have a hard time finding a work life balance

Since caregiving is so incredibly hard, many people decide to take advantage of respite. Senior Respite Helps Caregivers

What Is Respite?

Respite care is often offered by assisted living communities. They provide short-term stays for seniors whose caregivers need a break. They take care of seniors for that short time, so caregivers do not have to worry.
Does this sound like something you would like to take advantage of? If so, I recommend doing it. You work so hard for your older loved one, so take some time to pay attention to your care.
Actually, the National Respite Network advises that caregivers use respite before they become exhausted. This is what prevents burn out and stress related illnesses and diseases.
Some caregivers find respite care to be better than having someone come to their loved one’s house because it’s a different environment. A change of pace can do wonders for your loved one, especially when he or she can meet some people. Not only is this a benefit for you, it’s a benefit for your loved one.

How to Get Respite Care Set Up for Your Loved One

All you have to do to set up respite care is contact assisted living facilities around your local area. Not all of these places offer respite, but many do, so find the ones that do and arrange an interview. During the interview, you can ask questions about how their respite care services work. You can take a tour of the community, and then decide if it’s something your older loved one would like. If possible, bring your loved one with you. This way he or she can have a say about which one is better.
When you’re ready to use respite care, contact the director and arrange the stay. You will need to bring everything that the assisted living facility has requested. If you do not have something, ask if that is okay before you go to drop off your loved one. Sometimes, facilities will not care for your loved one without all of the items needed because of licensing requirements.

Additional Help Is Available

Do you need more help with your caregiving? Kendall Van Blarcom can help you. Offering information about respite care is only one of the ways that he helps people like you. He genuinely cares about you and wants to help you. By talking about your problems, he is able to help you solve them in the ways you want to. Learn more about his personal consulting services. It may just be what you need to turn your life around, so you and your older loved one can be happier and healthier.
Kendall Van Blarcom
www.KvanB.com

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