Caregiver in Braselton GA

Every family caregiver has her limits and if you don’t know when you’ve reached yours, you might be in for a surprise before you know it. Here are a few ideas about how to look at what you’re doing and how you can gain some space for yourself.

Make a List of Everything that You Are Responsible for Managing

To truly appreciate all that you do and all that you’re responsible for doing, start out by making a list. That list needs to be comprehensive and include all of that tasks that you do on a daily and weekly basis for you, for your elderly loved one and for others. If you need to make the list as you’re going through a day, a week, or even a month, that’s fine and will allow you to be as comprehensive as possible.

How Does Your List Make You Feel?

Once you have your list, take a good look at it. How does it feel when you see, on paper, all that you do and all that you’re responsible for doing? You’re likely to be quite surprised at first when you realize just how much you’re in charge of handling. So stop for just a moment and examine how the list makes you feel. Are you overwhelmed? Are you frustrated? Sad? It’s important to understand how the overall picture makes you feel so that you can move forward.

Can Anyone Else Help?

As you go through your list again, mark activities that someone else could reasonably do for you. If you know right away who you can ask to help with that task, write that person’s name beside the task. You might be surprised just how much of your list contains tasks that other people actually can help you with during the week.

Actively Seek out Help

Now that you have an idea what can be delegated to someone else, it’s time to seek out that help. You might have only a few one-time tasks with which you need help or you might have ongoing tasks. Be straightforward with the people you’re asking for help and don’t assume that you’ll get either a yes or a no. Either answer is truly fine. If you’re in an area that is far from other family members or people who could help, consider hiring senior care providers to help split up your task load.

Give Yourself the Room You Need

The bottom line is that you have to give yourself the room that you need in order to remain within your own limitations. If you don’t do that, you’re going to burn yourself out and that’s going to be awful for both you and your elderly loved one.

Once you have a plan to help you to stay within your own limits, you can monitor that plan and adjust it as necessary.

The staff at Home Care Matters is available to talk with you and your family about all of your needs. Home Care Matters is a home care agency providing quality and affordable caregiver services in Braselton, GA and the surrounding areas. Call (678) 828-2195 for more information.

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Valerie Darling

Founder, Owner at Home Care Matters

Valerie was born in Miami, FL and after a few family moves, grew up locally in the Marietta, GA area.Valerie is the oldest of 4 (3 younger brothers).She is married and has one child.Valerie is the Founder, Owner and CEO of Home Care Matters.Valerie’s mom, Dee, is the inspiration and primary driver as the how and why the business was born.Valerie says, “My mom is never far from our thoughts.Mom was an integral part of developing and starting HCM before she passed away.Our goal is to stay true to her memory and continue to honor her with the love, values, and ethics she taught us.”

Valerie has the unique experience with home care as she has experienced it from both ends of the spectrum, as a caregiver and as needing care herself as a cancer survivor. Valerie says, “Taking care of someone you love is a physically, mentally and demanding labor of love.Taking care of my mom was the hardest thing I have ever done. It has given me an insight and perspective not many people understand unless you are doing it or have done it.I loved taking care of my mom.I love helping others take care of their love ones too.And now that I’ve been sick, it’s given me a whole new level of empathy and understanding for those who are sick and need help.”

Valerie’s schedule varies daily, but she loves visiting with our clients, families, caregivers, our network partners and being in the office.Says Valerie, “Every day is different, but I wake up excited about what we do, inspired by our team, clients and caregivers.I strive to be a resource to the community.I love my team and I love what we do every day. I like to think my mom would be proud.”

You can reach Valerie by email (Valerie@homecarematters.com) or in our office (770.965.4004).

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