Serving in the role of primary caregiver for an aging loved one is a big responsibility. And although it’s highly rewarding, caregiving can also be mentally and physically exhausting. Dealing with life changes like moving, financial hardship, or a serious illness can keep you from providing the level of care that’s needed.

When you can no longer be the primary caregiver, finding a reliable replacement (or two) is essential for maintaining your loved one’s quality of life. Using these transition tips will help ensure that your senior continues to receive the nurturing they deserve.

Caregivers Face These Life Challenges

Starting with all the time and energy that’s invested, being a primary caregiver takes a lot of work. As caregiver stress creeps up on you, it can place the health and wellbeing of both you and your care recipient at risk.

In addition to stress and fatigue, these life challenges oftentimes keep primary caregivers from fulfilling their caregiving obligations:

  • Being diagnosed with a chronic medical condition
  • Marital strain/other relationships
  • Personality conflicts
  • Moving away
  • Job responsibilities
  • Financial hardship

Your Continuity-of-Care Strategy

When it’s time to step down as a primary caregiver you’ll need to come up with a good strategy that ensures continuity-of-care. While doing so, don’t allow emotions like guilt, anger, frustration, and hopelessness to cloud your judgment. Here’s how to make the caregiving transition go more seamlessly:

Hold a family meeting

In many families, the role of primary caregiver falls upon the shoulders of the eldest daughter. Unless told otherwise, the siblings and other family members just assume that everything is going OK.

The first step is to hold a family meeting at which you can openly and honestly express your feelings. While communicating with care and compassion, respectfully discuss why you need to take a break and ask for help from the others. Use that meeting as an opportunity to devise a continuity-of-care game plan based on everyone’s time and talents.

Build a caregiving team

The average family has complex dynamics that can resurface at a moment’s notice. Those pent-up feelings can cause some family members to reject your request for help. If so, respectfully thank them for their time and move on.

As a primary caregiver you wear many hats, including cook, cleaning person, financial advisor, and chauffeur. Starting with family members that have agreed to lend a hand, build a caregiving team by taking advantage of other resources like:

If you’re not sure how to get started filling your team’s roster, a geriatric care manager can provide you with valuable “coaching” insight.

Learn to trust others

Since you’ve been the primary caregiver for a while, relinquishing control isn’t going to be easy. But for the sake of your own physical and mental health you’ll need to let go and place your trust in others. If it helps you sleep better at night, schedule weekly or monthly care team Zoom meetings so that members can update you on your loved one’s status.

In between those scheduled virtual meetings communicate with your team via email or text messages. Based on what’s reported, care team members can make adjustments so that all your senior’s needs continue to be met. If you’re still concerned, stay in touch with the care recipient through in-home visits or phone calls.

And finally, be sure to take advantage of the extra time you now have by catching up on home improvement projects, going on a family vacation, or merely spending some “me time” doing activities that you’ve been putting off for way too long!

Reliable In-Home Respite Care for Seniors in Alabama

Although it’s a labor of love, serving as a primary caregiver can be stressful and overwhelming. When you feel like you can no longer be the only caregiver, contact Seniors Prefer Homecare. Once you do, our highly trained in-home respite caregivers will provide your loved one with the nurturing they deserve so they can keep on living right where they want to be. In addition to respite care, our compassionate professionals can support activities of daily living with services like personal care, dementia care, household duties, companionship care, live-in care, and 24-hour care.

At SPH, our mission is lifting 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 Tuscaloosa or Huntsville, AL, today, please visit Seniors Prefer Homecare at www.seniorspreferhomecare.com!