While highly rewarding and fulfilling, providing care for a senior loved one also includes a variety of challenges that can lead to serious health risks for family caregivers. And while it’s common for family members to put their own needs on the back burner to focus fully on the needs of their loved one, it’s so important for caregivers to realize that they can actually provide better care when they are well rested and in good health themselves.
Finding time for self-care can be a struggle as well. After all, your senior loved one relies on you, and you have learned all of the little nuances that help each day run smoothly – how she likes her coffee prepared, her hair fixed, the details of her afternoon routine. It’s easier sometimes to just handle everything yourself than to entrust someone else with it all. Yet realistically, we all need a helping hand from time to time, and this is especially true for caregivers, who are susceptible to the increased stress that can lead to caregiver burnout.
At Absolute Companion Care, our team hears from family members all the time who are reluctant to accept help, but are in desperate need of a trusted partner in care. If this describes you, consider the benefits of professional respite care – both to yourself and to your senior loved one.
Respite Care Benefits for Caregivers
Professional respite caregivers, like those at Absolute Companion Care, are fully trained and experienced in a wide range of senior care needs, including specialized care for those with dementia and other chronic conditions. Our caregivers never come in and “take over,” but take time to listen and get to know each senior in order to provide highly personalized care to meet each person’s individual needs.
As a result, family members have the opportunity to relax and renew themselves with enjoyable hobbies and interests, exercise, time spent with friends, running errands and tending to their own needs, all while knowing their senior loved one is in the very best of care.
Respite Care Benefits for Seniors
And the benefits aren’t just for the caregiver herself! Seniors gain the opportunity for enhanced socialization as they spend time with a new companion with whom they can share life stories, engage in fun activities, play cards and games, learn a new skill, go out shopping or to lunch – the options are endless. Respite caregivers can also prepare meals, help with housework and laundry, and assist with personal care needs like bathing and dressing – tasks that are sometimes more comfortable for seniors when performed by a professional caregiver.
The senior receives a twofold gift: a more relaxed family caregiver, and relief in knowing that the caregiver is taking care of herself – something that is of great importance to many older adults who may struggle with feelings of guilt about their need for care.
If you’d like to learn more about the best senior home care in Sparks and the surrounding areas, contact us any time at 410-357-9640. We’re here for as much or as little respite care assistance as needed – both for your senior loved one, and yourself.