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An increasing number of people in the UK are
currently caring for their loved ones. According to a survey, there are over 5 million people who devote at least part of their week
to caring for their disabled, sick, or elderly relatives. Being a caregiver
takes patience, attention to detail, and being organised, and keeping things
together can be a challenge whether you’re caring for your family member on a
part-time or full-time basis. It’s certainly an advantage if you’ve had some
training or experience in caregiving, but there are ways that you can be more
efficient if your parent or relative is depending on you for his or her care.
The importance of being organised when
caregiving
Apart from looking into caregivingresources to give you the support that you need in
caring for your family members, you can also try being organised to make each
day go a little smoother. Caregiving can be time-consuming and stressful, so
you need to find ways to avoid burnout by having a system that you can depend
on to help you track and finish each task. This is especially true if you’re
caring for an elderly loved one who has dementia, or a relative with a
cognitive disorder such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or Mild
Cognitive Impairment.
It’s normal for caregivers to feel a mixture
of grief,guilt, anger, embarrassment, and loneliness on certain
days when caring for a family member with a cognitive disorder. Statistics show
that people living with dementia prefer to be in their own homes and retain as much independence
as possible, which can make caring for them to be quite a challenge. Though
there’s no way to predict how each day can turn out, being prepared and
organised can help you provide better care for your loved ones while also
giving yourself the care that you need.
Organise your loved one’s medications
To do this, you’ll need some pill organisers,
which you can get at any pharmacy. Your parent or relative may need to take
several pills per day, so fill up each container with the required daily
medication. It’s a good idea to organise more than one week’s worth of pills as
you’ll never know if you need to be out the following week on an important
errand. This way, whoever gets to stay with your parent or relative while
you’re out can assist him or her to take the pills in the right way.
Keep a written journal of your family member’s
needs
Your journal can be anything from a plain
notebook to a three-ring binder. Use it to write down meal times, medication
times, contact numbers of your elderly relatives’ doctors, and emergency
contact numbers.
Create a calendar
Keep track of doctor appointments with a
dedicated calendar. You can buy a plain calendar that has plenty of writing
space or use a big whiteboard for this purpose. You can also write down the TV
shows that your relative enjoys on the board, family functions, and other
community activities that you think he or she might enjoy. Place the calendar
in a spot where you and your relative can easily see it. You should also have a
duplicate of the calendar on your daily planner or on a calendar app on your
phone.
Take turns with other family members when
caring for your loved one
Caring for a family member entails some
sacrifices and adjustments, and some have even made massive changes in their
lifestyles to look after their sick or elderly loved ones. In a poll, it was
found that of Britain’s 6 million caregivers, one in five has left full-time employment to look after an
ailing parent or relative. If you cannot commit to being a full-time caregiver,
it’s imperative to ask for help from other family members to care for your
loved one. Have a family meeting and work out a schedule that will work for
everyone, and give them access to your caregiving journal to let them know
about your ailing relative’s daily routine, medication, and other things that
they need to know while caregiving.
Make time for yourself
To become a more efficient caregiver, it’s a
good idea to also take some time for yourself when caring for a loved one,
especially if your relative has dementia, as caring for him or her can take a
toll on your energy and emotions. You can start a new hobby such as journaling,
calligraphy, or colouring in, which you can do while looking after your parent
or relative. Make sure that you’re eating well and getting some exercise to
keep your strength up, and communicate frequently with your friends and family
members to cope with the challenges of caregiving.
Being organised will not only benefit your
ailing loved one, but it will also enable you to become less stressed, happier,
and healthier while you’re looking after your relative. Take the time to get
organised and see how caregiving gets better each day.
The Edith Ellen Foundation would like to thank our friend Sally who is a freelance writer at SeniorAdvisor.com for writing this Article. Sally is a former Manager of a care home, learned how demanding
and complex caregiving can be. While it can also be rewarding, caregivers need
all the help and support they can get.
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