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Choosing Home Care

The Benefits of Regular Caregiving Help for the Sandwich Generation

The kids need their lunches made for school, your husband’s car is in the shop and he needs you to drop him off at work, you have a big presentation to give to the CEO today, and you just got a call from your elderly mother, who’s out of a very important prescription medication and needs a refill ASAP.
Seniorcare

The kids need their lunches made for school, your husband’s car is in the shop and he needs you to drop him off at work, you have a big presentation to give to the CEO today, and you just got a call from your elderly mother, who’s out of a very important prescription medication and needs a refill ASAP. Caregiving for an elderly or disabled loved one requires a mountain of patience, energy and commitment. For many, caregiving is a second full-time job, and the stress of trying to balance everything can cause anxiety and even illness.

Often, family caregivers feel guilty when they feel like they can’t do it all, but asking for caregiving help is not an act of selfishness. It is actually an important necessity. Caregiver burnout, a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may be accompanied by a negative change in the caregiver’s attitude, can occur when a caregiver tries to overdo things and becomes physically, mentally, and emotionally overwhelmed, and may lead to anxiety and depression.

To stave off caregiver burnout and find balance, caregivers should:

  • Spend time—even ten minutes a day—“checking-in.” This should be protected time to read, listen to music, exercise, etc.
  • Laugh at the funny things in life.
  • Take time to be “in” their marriage.
  • Listen to their bodies. If the body is saying slow down, or that something is not right, medical advice should be sought. Too often we do not listen to our bodies no matter how loudly they may be talking to us.
  • Ask for caregiving help. Not being able to do everything for everyone isn’t a failure; it’s normal.

Regular caregiving services, like those offered by Hillendale Home Care, allow family caregivers to take a much needed break from caregiving, while ensuring their loved ones get the quality home care assistance they need. Hillendale’s respite caregivers can provide a variety of services, including:

  • Personal care
  • Companionship
  • Shopping and errand running
  • Transportation to and from appointments
  • And much more

If you have a loved one in need of home care in Concord, CA or a nearby location in our service area, contact us at 925-933-8181 to learn how we can help your family.

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