How to Find the Right Balance Between Your Needs and Your Dad’s Care

Two out of ten caregivers rate their health as fair or poor. Family caregivers often struggle to balance their own needs with their parents’ needs. You’re starting to see how difficult it is to take care of yourself, your family, and your dad. There’s not enough time. How can senior home care help you find the right balance?

Create a Daily Schedule

Brainstorm everything your dad needs each day, week, and month. Use a platform like Google Calendar to develop daily to-do lists for each day of the week. Once you’ve created it, look the list back over. Realistically, how many of these chores can be pushed back to every other day?

Sometimes, the things that seem urgent aren’t that critical. Your dad does need to take his medications, take care of personal hygiene, and eat enough. But, he may not need to take a shower today if he showered yesterday. He doesn’t need you to vacuum or dust every day.

For example, you need to remind your dad to take his blood pressure medications every day. They’re vital to his health. He needs your help cooking meals. He needs to drink enough to avoid dehydration.

But, do you really need to make his bed each morning. It’s okay if his bed goes unmade. If you don’t wipe down the handles and the faucet in the kitchen for a day, it’s not that big a deal.

Ask Others to Chip in Their Time

Your brother lives just as close to your dad as you do. Ask him to help out. Permit him to view the calendar you created. If he’s stopping by to shovel the driveway, he could put in a load of laundry before he starts.

By having him take over a few more chores, you’ll have the time needed to focus on self-care. The laundry’s going, so you could use that time to go out and run errands.

With errands completed earlier than usual, take an hour later in the afternoon to do something you love. Take your camera outside and photograph birds at the feeder. Go for a long walk in the woods.

Don’t Try to Do It All

Whether you’re trying to save money by being your dad’s only caregiver, or you worry about him accepting anyone else’s help, you can’t do it all. You must realize your limits and let others assist with your dad’s care.

Balance the time you have with the benefits senior home care services offer. Help your dad as much as you can, but don’t take on too much by having caregivers available to help out too. Talk to a home care representative about the availability and costs for senior home care in your area.

Sources:
https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2021/05/caregiving-in-the-united-states-50-plus.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.022.pdf