Caring for a loved one can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it can also be difficult and overwhelming. Many caregivers deal with guilt and worry about the amount of time they spend with a parent or family member.
In honor of November being National Caregivers Month, TV Host Leeza Gibbons who is a longtime advocate for caregiver and currently the caregiver of her father, took some time to share her care giving tips in a recent interview Michigan Mom Living readers.
Some of Leeza’s tips include:
- Dealing with Guilt: Caregiving can come with a lot of guilt, whether you live far away or you feel you’re not able to give your loved ones enough time. Just remind yourself you’re doing the best you can. You’re showing up with love, with your best intention and that means a lot.
- Overcome Feeling Overwhelmed: You’re caring for your loved one while taking care of your own family. You’ve often got work on top of your demanding caregiving schedule and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Try to break everything down into smaller sections if you can. If you look at the totality of what’s in front of you, you’re going to get overwhelmed, so I break it down into bite-sized chunks.
- Keep the Family Together: When a parent or family member is getting older, you know you might need to make some important decisions. You probably wonder how you can keep it together. One way to do it is to just have a check-in moment. Have a family dinner or if you’re all in different parts of the country, take advantage of technology such as Facetime or Skype.
- Convincing Your Loved One to Get a Medical Alert Device: As a caregiver you would probably feel better if your loved one wore a medical alert device, but there’s a good chance the person you want to protect might be resistant. Make it about you and not them. Tell your parent this is something that you need to have peace of mind.
- Take Your Oxygen First: Caregivers need to take care of themselves. That’s the first way to give love to your loved one. When you are mentally stronger as the caregiver, you get better outcomes for your care receiver.
- Remember to Breathe: Simply, take deep, measured breaths. When you’re a caregiver you’re probably taking shallow breaths because you’re likely tense most of the time. Try this: Take 10 deep cleansing breaths -breathe in with empowerment and optimism; reminding yourself you can do it.
Click here for the complete interview:
For more information, go to www.lifeline.philips.com.
Picture courtesy of Philips Lifeline