There are seven types of self-care for caregivers that are crucial to maintaining a healthy life balance.
On any given day, your role as family caregiver may involve helping a senior loved one get up and dressed, preparing breakfast, providing transportation to appointments or an exercise class, taking care of housework and laundry, ensuring safety from a fall, managing medications…all before lunchtime. And the day only continues to get more hectic from there. As night falls, you may be too exhausted to do anything more than sink into bed. Who has time for self-care?
September is National Self-Care Awareness Month, the perfect time to start making it a priority to take care of yourself with the same compassion and commitment you provide to the senior family member you care for. Self-care for caregivers is vitally important both for the person providing care and the one receiving it.
How Can You Fit Self-Care Into Your Busy Schedule?
First, take a moment to gauge how well you score on these seven pillars of self-care to see where you may need to carve out extra time in order to maintain a healthy life balance:
- Physical Self-Care: Are you getting enough rest, eating healthy, and staying physically active?
- Emotional Self-Care: How are you handling stress? Do you take time for calming activities? Do you know how to set boundaries and say “no” when necessary?
- Mental Self-Care: What outlet do you have for your thoughts? Are you staying curious and learning new things? Are you taking breaks from your phone and other electronics?
- Social Self-Care: What relationships do you have outside of your caregiving role? Are you taking time to stay connected and to nurture those relationships?
- Environmental Self-Care: How would you describe your living environment: calming, cluttered? Are you spending time outdoors?
- Spiritual Self-Care: Do you have the time you need to attend and get involved with a church, synagogue, or other religious organization? Have you found a sense of community that aligns with your spiritual needs and viewpoints?
- Recreational Self-Care: What hobbies and fun pastimes are you interested in? How much time do you dedicate to enjoying them?
Home Care to the Rescue!
If you’re like most family caregivers, you’re probably not able to dedicate the time needed to one or more of the areas above. The good news is that help is available!
In-home respite care is the perfect solution to help ensure self-care for family caregivers and support for the seniors they love. Our fully trained and experienced caregivers can step in while you step away on a regular basis to take care of your health and wellbeing. Your family member will benefit as well from the additional opportunity for socialization from a carefully matched, friendly caregiving companion.
