Caring for the Caregiver

While it may seem counterintuitive, to care for the person in charge of giving care, we all need a little TLC no matter what our circumstances in life. Having full responsibility for someone else’s care and wellbeing is a lot to bare, and could potentially cause unwanted resentment or the feeling of being burned out.

If you know a fellow caregiver of a loved one or someone that works as a professional caregiver, here are just a few simple ways to make them feel appreciated…

Offer to Clean the House

The last thing a caregiver wants to do on his/her time off is clean the house. Rather than remark about how the house needs cleaned, jump right in and do it yourself! There’s nothing quite like coming home to a clean house, especially when it was an unexpected act of kindness.

Prepare Meals for the Week

When things get especially hectic for caregivers, they may actually forget to eat or make dinner simply because there is so much other stuff on their minds. In addition, after a long day of feeding, cleaning, and caring for someone else, the caregiver may be too exhausted to put in the effort for their own care.

Show Signs of Encouragement and Appreciation

Since caregivers are so focused on providing and caring for others, they may start to feel that their own needs and wants go unnoticed. Doing little things for your friend or family member like sending flowers or a card will help let them know that they are a priority as well.

Give Them Some Time Off

If the caregiver in question is a family member caring for another family member, and you would feel comfortable enough, you might consider stepping in and taking over your loved one’s care for a while. Even if it’s just for a couple hours or a day, that gives the caregiver some time alone to run errands or just grab some food.

Talk It Out

To avoid any negative feelings of isolation or resentment that could potentially come with caregiving, try talking to your friend about how they are feeling—about who they are caring for, about their personal life, about their health. You could even kindly and gently suggest talking to a therapist to get the weight off of their shoulders and find a sense of relief.

Contact The Inn at Belden Village

Another great option for caregivers is to think about moving their loved ones into an assisted living facility or nursing home. At The Inn at Belden Village, we have professionally trained nurses on staff 24/7 to care for your loved ones, in addition to a whole staff aimed at making our facility feel like home. At our facility, we care for your loved ones like they are our own mothers and fathers.