While serving largely behind the scenes, America’s healthcare system relies on over 50 million unpaid, or “informal”, caregivers every year. Most of those informal caregivers assist aging-in-place relatives with activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, toileting or feeding. And although serving as a family caregiver is highly rewarding, many ultimately experience stress, fatigue and even full-blown caregiver burnout. If you are a primary family caregiver, as your loved one’s needs change it may become necessary to ask for support. 

Warning Signs of Caregiver Stress

As a primary caregiver feeling powerless and frustrated is not unusual. There are days when it seems like no matter how hard you try your loved one’s condition keeps getting worse. As the aging process continues you start investing more and more time into their care. Before you know it, those additional responsibilities have triggered caregiver stress.

Here are some classic warning signs of caregiver stress:

  • Feeling tired to the point of exhaustion
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Level of anxiety increases
  • Constantly feeling worried or overwhelmed
  • Disinterest in activities once enjoyed
  • Not exercising enough
  • Rapid weight loss or gain
  • Short-tempered

As personal relationships begin to suffer many overwhelmed family caregivers turn to alcohol and other substances to take the edge off. Sadly, the ensuing dependency oftentimes makes a bad situation even worse.

How to Delegate Caregiving Responsibilities 

In most families, a parent or grandparent’s primary caregiving responsibilities fall upon the shoulders of the eldest daughter. But caregiving isn’t a one-person job. If you currently find yourself not only being the primary but the sole family caregiver, here’s how to “rally the troops” around you:

Hold a family meeting

In most situations where one adult child is caring for an elderly parent, the other siblings assume that everything is OK. If you’ve been taking care of mom or dad all by yourself for a while, schedule a family meeting during which you respectfully ask the others to pitch in.

Calmly discuss how to divide up the responsibilities based on the time and talents of each care team member- like preparing meals or transporting mom to doctor appointments. Also ask everyone to report any upcoming care need changes based on what they’ve observed.

Senior transportation services 

Losing driving privileges not only threatens your senior’s independence, it gives you one more thing to worry about. Many large communities offer public transportation and paratransit services for elderly riders at discounted rates. Setting up your senior with a ride-sharing service is another way to reduce your caregiving workload.

Meal delivery services

Providing nutritious meals for a senior takes a lot of time and energy. Hiring a meal delivery service that offers special dietary selections for seniors is another way to lighten your load. Most provide to-the-door deliveries anywhere in the country, giving you one less thing to worry about!

Adult daycare

Another potential source of caregiving relief is adult daycare. For a fee, these centers cater to seniors by providing light assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), along with planned social activities on a daily or weekly basis.

Respite care programs

Many communities offer support programs specifically designed to give family caregivers a break, or “respite”. Most can be found through the ARCH National Respite Network Locator. You can also locate respite care sources via the Family Care Navigator or local chapter for the Agency on Aging.

Professional home care 

As care needs change it may become necessary to hire a professional in-home caregiver who’s trained in caregiving areas that fall outside of your expertise, like dementia care, stroke recovery care, diabetes management, or something as equally challenging.

Professional In-Home Respite Care for Seniors in Alabama 

Although it’s a labor-of-love, serving as the primary family caregiver can be overwhelming at times. At Seniors Prefer Homecare, we provide reliable in-home respite care solutions that restore the peace-of-mind of the clients and families we serve. While serving as an extended family in the home, our highly trained professionals support senior daily living activities through in-home services like personal care, household duties, companionship care, dementia care, and even live-in and 24-hour care.

At SPH, our compassionate team members use a unique approach that’s designed to lift the spirits of those we serve while maintaining their independence, dignity and self-esteem. To learn more about our “cream-of-the-crop” home care services now, or to schedule a FREE initial consultation for a senior in Huntsville or Tuscaloosa, AL, today, please visit Seniors Prefer Homecare at www.seniorspreferhomecare.com!