It can be a difficult and surreal experience to find yourselves reversing roles between you and your parents. As they get older, you might need to step in and help them, whether that’s helping sort out their weekly food shop or assisting with more home care services as a caregiver.
However you involve yourself, it’s important that you’re doing so in a way that’s comfortable for you and that you can manage without feeling overwhelmed.
With that in mind, here are some of the quiet ways families look after aging parents without it all getting too much.
Set clear boundaries and expectations
You must think about yourself, what you can take on, and what might be too much for you to handle on your plate. Everyone is different, and not everyone has the time, money, or resources to be able to give up everything and care for aging parents who need a lot of care.
To help manage the workload and not let yourself or your parents down, think about the expectations that your parents have and whether these match the reality of your own. If not, it’s important to communicate that, as well as setting some clear boundaries that protect both your energy and sanity.
Make proactive use of external support
Families should be leaning on external support where it’s needed, especially when it can be challenging to take on the brunt of the responsibility yourself if you don’t have sibling or family assistance.
Fortunately, there are many services and companies available that can provide extra support for you and your parents, such as implementing an emergency response system for elderly.
By taking full advantage of external support where it’s available, it’s likely to make a big difference to how you feel and how effectively you’re able to look after your parents, too.
Don’t forget about your own well-being
Your own well-being is extremely important to consider when caring for aging loved ones or anyone else. If you’re neglecting your own health and well-being, that’s not going to bode well for yourself or anyone you’re providing caregiving to.
To maintain your resilience and to stay healthy, treating your own health as an essential rather than a luxury is critical.
Maintaining health routines like regular sleep, eating nutritious meals, and daily exercise can all help keep you nice and healthy.
You might also want to look at the option of counseling, should your mental health take a decline, as it so often does when it comes to looking after a loved one for an extended period of time.
It’s always good to try and plan a schedule so that you feel like it’s a part of a routine and not something where you feel like you’re chasing your tail. Use technology to help with medication reminders and appointments so that you keep on top of everything, even when it all gets too busy.
