5 Tips Every Family Caregiver Needs

Whether you’re new to care-giving or a seasoned caregiver, these five tips can help you feel supported, organized and keep your own health top of mind.

1. Get Support.

Family care-giving can take its toll on caregivers – mentally, physically and emotionally. You do not have to do it alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or accept someone’s offer to help. Keep a running list on your phone or close to you so you can pass along a task to helping hands.There are numerous resources and communities available you can utilize for support and inspiration.

Finding time for respite or a break from care-giving is critical to your success and health. Whether respite comes in the form of family, friends or professional caregivers, time away for you to recharge and rest is just as good for you as it is for your loved one.

To find professional respite near you, visit heavenonearth.com

Those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia may be eligible for a dementia home care grant. Hilarity for Charity® and the Heaven On Earth Home Care® partner to award home care grants to those providing care to loved ones living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Learn more about the program and submit an application.

2. Take care of your health.

In order to care for others, you should first care for yourself. Many family caregivers tend to put their own health on hold. This blog post: 10 Tips for Healthy Aging includes suggestions that can be implemented at any age and are the groundwork for healthy aging.

Staying healthy can actually help relieve stress that care-giving could cause. Exercising 30 minutes per day is recommended, but if that’s not possible, any physical movement is better than none. Eat healthy to maintain your energy and fuel your body. Keep fruits and veggies on hand for snacks, drink plenty of water and don’t skip meals.

While providing care for loved ones, be cognizant of your own emotional and physical signs of stress.

3. Polish your communication skills.

Caregivers shoulder many responsibilities, but one of the most crucial may be the ability to effectively communicate with family members, physicians and employers if you’re still working.

The primary family caregiver typically knows the ins and outs, routines and nuances of a loved one’s care. Communicating these and other needs with other family members can be challenging though, especially if family is geographically dispersed.

4. Organize Important Documents.

Caring for a loved one requires caregivers to understand and likely manage another person’s financial, legal and medical affairs. Having all these important documents in one place can help alleviate any unnecessary stress when the documents are needed. Caregiver Action Network has a helpful list of important documents including wills, insurance policies, medical records, retirement accounts and more that you can reference to start organizing.

When considering how to get started with your own or your loved ones’ final years planning, it’s important to take the time to reflect and ask seven important questions.

Beth Ludden, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Genworth Financial says, “The biggest problem is that many people, because of a reluctance to face these kinds of issues, may fail to do so and that leaves individuals potentially at financial risk in their final years.”

Understanding health benefits, especially those through Medicare, can also be confusing. Bookmark medicare.gov for the latest coverage, costs and providers. Many changes went into effect in 2019; read about them in this blog post.