Anyone can become a caregiver at any time in their life. Often people see the act of caring as the expected duties of parents, spouses, adults, children or other family members. Although some people may identify as caregivers, many do not realize they are caregivers or are reluctant to identify as such.
“A caregiver's journey can sometimes begin unexpectedly and tumultuously, particularly in the sudden onset of the care recipient's illness, leaving little time for the caregiver to prepare for the role of caregiver. The care recipient may experience changes in mobility, mood, cognition, personality, and ability, and be unable to perform daily self-care activities. At the same time, several tasks require attention and can be overwhelming for a new caregiver. »
Excerpt from “Handbook on Successful Aging”
What should I do as a caregiver?
A caregiver should:
- Gather information about your care recipient's current condition.
- Help your care recipient with their physical needs
- Monitor the health of your care recipient.
- Support decisions about your care recipient's medical needs.
- Understand the emotional needs of your care recipient.
- Recognize the spiritual needs of your care recipient.
- Anticipate and plan for your beneficiary's care needs.
Caregiving is never easy. Most of the time, a caregiver has to juggle caregiving with other tasks. These tasks may include full-time/part-time work, childcare, and their own social and leisure lifestyles.
Additionally, a caregiver may need to look after someone who is struggling to cope with daily life. This may involve helping, assisting, or simply supervising their care recipient. The time and energy involved usually drains a caregiver.
Given the many needs a care recipient has, what exactly does a caregiver do?
As a general rule, a carer should take care of their beneficiary:
- Physical needs: helping your care recipient get dressed – buttoning up shirts and blouses and doing household chores such as grocery shopping or other.
- Medical and health needs: ensuring that the care recipient receives a balanced meal and sufficient nutrition and reminding them to take their medications on time.
- Emotional and psychosocial needs: meeting her emotional needs – expressing your love and support constantly, even in her lowest moments, listening and finding support groups in the community if needed.
- Spiritual needs: Your care recipient's religion can bring you encouragement and comfort right now so help them remember and celebrate important religious dates.
As a caregiver, you fill a variety of roles – you can be a financial adviser, lawyer, nurse, doctor, social worker and driver rolled into one.
Most caregivers may find themselves having to take care of their finances, make decisions about legal matters, take care of their medical needs, provide counselling, emotional and religious support, and accompany recipients. care at their medical appointments.
A caregiver may be intimidated by the long list of tasks they are expected to perform and feel like they are not up to it. Indeed, the provision of care is never simple and caregivers are often confronted with complex situations.
For example, a caregiver may not know how to properly plan finances or perform essential tasks like transferring or bathing.
One of the most important things a caregiver needs is to know how to get things done.
In the past, most caregivers learned the hard way – trial and error. It has also led to undue stress being placed on carers as they have had to spend time experimenting with the best ways to care.
Today, training is available to help the caregiver. Spread across a wide range of courses, providers, and topics, the training aims to equip the caregiver with the right caregiving skills and knowledge. Additionally, caregivers can also benefit from the Caregiver Training Grant (CTG) to take these courses.
How to determine the amount of care required?
Most caregivers spend more than eight hours a day providing care to their recipient.
As such, it is important that you assess the time you need to provide care early on. This will allow you to better allocate your time and manage your caregiving expectations.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What activities of daily living (such as eating, dressing, or bathing) can or cannot your care recipient do?
- Can your care recipient move around with minimal supervision?
- Does your care recipient have multiple medical needs?
- Does your care recipient need constant care and attention?
- Are you the sole caregiver?
Knowing how much care is needed is crucial in caregiving. You also need to know how long it will take to provide care. This allows you to better plan and manage your own time. Besides, it would also allow you to plan alternative services to be provided so that you can rest.
What are my own needs and abilities?
You need to recognize your own needs as a caregiver. When you first become a caregiver, you may need to drastically change your lifestyle. Caregivers often have to sacrifice social and leisure activities, such as entertainment, hanging out with friends, or playing sports.
On top of that, most caregivers also have to balance work and caregiving, as the latter can take up most of their time. This can span years, as caregiving is usually a long-term commitment.
When considering your own needs and abilities, it is important that any changes you make in your life are discussed with your family. Finding a balance between work and caregiving can often lead to reduced working hours and wages, affecting your finances. Giving up social and leisure activities could also affect your health as a caregiver [see section 5 for more on how caregivers can manage their mental well-being].
While taking care of your care recipient is important, taking care of yourself is just as important, if not more so.
Take into account the preferences of the recipient of my care
What the care recipient needs and prefers is just as crucial as that of the caregiver. When making care decisions for your care recipient, be sure to include them in the decision-making process. While it's important to consider your own needs and preferences, also consider how your care recipient is feeling. Your care recipient might prefer a familiar environment or caregiver, rather than being in a nursing home or institution.
When making a decision, it would be wise to do the following:
- Make a list of the factors that influence the decision
- Weigh the pros and cons of each factor
- Discuss options with your care recipient
- Explain your available options and the final decision to your care recipient
- Make sure your care recipient understands the decision you have made
Whether you want to become a caregiver or need a caregiver, Askaide.com helps you find the perfect person for your care! Register now, join the Askaide community and find the caregiver you need!
