Are you an at-home caregiver that has a loveone that is bedridden and you have to do everything for them? You are not alone. There are thousands of people who has taken on this responsibility.
I for one am a caregiver. I care for my dad, who has had Alzheimer's for over 15 years now. Over the past 6 years, he has needed 24 hr care because he lost all mobility and was not able to do for himself any longer.In 2010, I moved back into the house with my parents to help with his needs.
Well, my first 6 months, I was full steam ahead. From the cooking, to the cleaning, to the changing of his diaper, I was able to manage.But after 6 months, something begin to happen..I became exhausted,which lead to days when I felt like not wanting to do anything. But even though I was tired, what could I do? After all, he depends on me and I can't let him down.
Now, I have learned a few things over the past couple of years that has helped me.But the most important thing I learned was how many things I was doing all wrong, which lead to my exhaustion. Most time we believe it's the work that is wearing us down, but when you really think about it ,you realize that it's how you are doing things that are causing the wear and tear on you.
If you are doing things the WRONG WAY chances are you are doing it the HARD WAY.
For instant, when it came down to changing the diaper on my dad, I was lifting his legs up to put the diaper under him, and it was putting a big time strain on my back. After several weeks of doing this and my back becoming sore with each passing day,it became very difficult for me to do.I knew I couldn't do this for years to come so I had to find a way that was easier for me.When I found an easier way to do the job, it became much easier and less stressful to do and my back thanked me everyday for it.
So if you are getting exhausted taking care of your loveone, take a step back and see if you are doing things the hard way. Find an easier way to do what needs to be done to take the physical pressure off yourself. I always remind myself that a tired body will lead to frustration and frustration will lead me to second guessing myself of why I decided to do this, instead of placing him in a nursing facility, which was out of the question for me.
http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2012/06/do-you-have-emergency-plan-while-taking.html
I for one am a caregiver. I care for my dad, who has had Alzheimer's for over 15 years now. Over the past 6 years, he has needed 24 hr care because he lost all mobility and was not able to do for himself any longer.In 2010, I moved back into the house with my parents to help with his needs.
Well, my first 6 months, I was full steam ahead. From the cooking, to the cleaning, to the changing of his diaper, I was able to manage.But after 6 months, something begin to happen..I became exhausted,which lead to days when I felt like not wanting to do anything. But even though I was tired, what could I do? After all, he depends on me and I can't let him down.
Now, I have learned a few things over the past couple of years that has helped me.But the most important thing I learned was how many things I was doing all wrong, which lead to my exhaustion. Most time we believe it's the work that is wearing us down, but when you really think about it ,you realize that it's how you are doing things that are causing the wear and tear on you.
If you are doing things the WRONG WAY chances are you are doing it the HARD WAY.
For instant, when it came down to changing the diaper on my dad, I was lifting his legs up to put the diaper under him, and it was putting a big time strain on my back. After several weeks of doing this and my back becoming sore with each passing day,it became very difficult for me to do.I knew I couldn't do this for years to come so I had to find a way that was easier for me.When I found an easier way to do the job, it became much easier and less stressful to do and my back thanked me everyday for it.
So if you are getting exhausted taking care of your loveone, take a step back and see if you are doing things the hard way. Find an easier way to do what needs to be done to take the physical pressure off yourself. I always remind myself that a tired body will lead to frustration and frustration will lead me to second guessing myself of why I decided to do this, instead of placing him in a nursing facility, which was out of the question for me.
http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2012/06/do-you-have-emergency-plan-while-taking.html
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