What if instead of getting more done, there was a way for you to get it all done? That seems impossible, especially when you’re a caregiver, but it could happen.
Assess Your Senior’s Biggest Needs
What does your elderly family member need most? That might be several different things, depending on her physical and emotional health. Start making a list. If you’re finding it difficult to come up with an answer, pay attention to what you end up doing during a given day. Her needs can change, especially as her health changes, so you might want to revisit this list periodically to help you stay on track.
Factor in Your Needs, Too
But your senior’s needs are only half the picture. If you don’t take stock of your needs, you’re going to run into a wall and not know what happened. Are you getting enough rest and eating well? Are you doing the things that light you up? You have to factor these things in or you’re dooming yourself to failure from the very beginning.
Look at Where Your Time Goes Now
Keeping a time map, even just for a couple of days, can help you to see more clearly where your time is going. Most people need to be able to see the activities they do daily on paper in order to fully comprehend how much time they take and where that time gets spent. Take quick notes throughout the day and then give yourself a more detailed accounting at the end of the day. You might be surprised at the tasks that are taking up the majority of your time and your energy.
What Can You Do to Create More Time for Yourself?
Once you can see everything on paper, from what your senior needs to what you need as well as where your time is going now, it’s going to be a lot easier to see what’s wrong. Looking at your time map, pinpoint what’s stealing time from you that you could be spending in other ways. That might be time you’re spending in unnecessary tasks that you can delegate or simply by focusing on things that aren’t needs for either you or your senior. Cut those items out and you may have a lot more time than you realize.
The best way to create more time for yourself is to hire a home care provider for your senior loved one. Reducing your caregiving responsibilities while also ensuring that your senior is care for is one of the most beneficial aspects of home care. You gain time to care for yourself, your own family and home, while your senior gains companionship, an experienced caregiver and greater independence.
Being a caregiver means that you sometimes have to strip everything down to the most important details. Once you do that, you’re able to focus on those most important items.
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Caregivers in Largo, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.
Latest posts by Becky Moultrie (see all)
- Five Things You Should Know About In-Home Care - April 7, 2023
- Are There Healthy Alternatives to Caffeine for Seniors? - March 31, 2023
- Home Care Assistance Covers a Range of Services and Support - March 24, 2023
Becky Moultrie is Owner and Administrator of Assisting Hands Home Care Serving Pinellas. Guided by a motto to Do Good with Love, she’s well positioned to do just that at Assisting Hands. She has a passion for helping families keep seniors and those who are diabled happy and healthy at home. She serves on a number of boards in Pinellas County including the Pinellas Park Gateway Chamber and Better Living Seniors (BLS), leading the Membership Committee. Annually, she hosts a Silver Santa Party, collecting donations for nearly 100 low income seniors in the county. She attends Blessed Sacrament Church, Seminole where she is an Ascribed Member of the Rosminian Order. When not busy Doing Good in the community, Becky is at home with her husband David & their 4 children, tending to their beehives and digging in the garden.
