www.porcelainutopia.com[/caption]Caregivers Take A Break:
Caregivers of any kind must take a break as often as possible for their own <a class="StrictlyAutoTagAnchor" title="View all articles about health here" href="http://www.jharnisch.com/tag/health">health and mental peace. As a primary caregiver, you owe it to yourself and your <a class="StrictlyAutoTagAnchor" title="View all articles about family here" href="http://www.jharnisch.com/tag/family">family to take a break from the task of caring for another.
Caring for the mentally ill <a class="StrictlyAutoTagAnchor" title="View all articles about family here" href="http://www.jharnisch.com/tag/family">family member, friend or person is a huge responsibility that few people are willing to accept. The role of a caregiver is one of great sacrifice, in terms of one’s own <a class="StrictlyAutoTagAnchor" title="View all articles about health here" href="http://www.jharnisch.com/tag/health">health, family and work. When a person accepts the role of the primary caregiver to someone else, even the elderly, he or she has no idea how long the commitment will last. It could be weeks, months or years and in that time, you as the caregiver will be mentally worn out within just a few weeks of beginning your role as the primary caregiver.
The task of the caregiver is all consuming and it will take over the control of his or her life very quickly. This is unavoidable. One might find it difficult to cope with the daily <a class="StrictlyAutoTagAnchor" title="View all articles about stress here" href="http://www.jharnisch.com/tag/stress">stress of caregiving, and will want to take a break very often. Either you can go away for a few days or take a break at your own home. Sometimes one needs to get away, as my wife, as my primary caregiver, is on a semi-vacation as well as some business of her own, in Arizona. My hired caregivers are indeed here with me today, and most days. Caregiving of any kind is just like a fulltime job. It does require a recharging of ones batteries, every now and then.
Before thinking of respite for yourself, as a caregiver, you must make arrangements for the person in your care.
Several options are available:
The first alternative is respite placements in a retirement home, both for the elderly or even hospitals and homes for the mentally ill. Many facilities and even hospitals, in certain states, that I am aware of, do keep rooms intended for only respite cases, so that the family members, husband, wife, friend or loved one, can take some rest. Before reserving such a place, you can verify the home or place in question, by first visiting wherever it is, or by a simple phone call, if far away. All the local authority offices will usually have details regarding such places or you can certainly read up about them on the Internet.
You can opt for home help or home care services, for the time of your absence. Home care services usually don’t stay with the person throughout the entire day. And home care can provide assistance for an extended time, but the attendant does not stay with the mentally ill person around the clock. This may not be a good option for the elderly, for example, who require constant care, but to each his or her own.
The best option, in my opinion, is to find a family member, friend, or a paid caregiver, as we have set up here, to help out with the care for the few days you will be away, and when my wife, for example is not away and so we can focus a lot more on our relationship as husband and wife. This might prove to be the best choice because one’s mind is at ease with a familiar person looking after your person needing assistance or simply companionship. Relatives or close friends are easily reachable at a moment’s notice, to ensure proper communication. However, there must be a volunteer for this job, unless one’s financial situation enables to afford such a hiring for this type of job. I feel blessed that this is the case for myself, and for my wife.
Again, caregivers of any kind must take a break as often as possible for their own health and mental peace. As a primary caregiver, you owe it to yourself and your family to take a break from the task of caring for another.
Jonathan Harnisch
No comments:
Post a Comment