How Do I Care for My Aging Spouse?

Caring for an aging or ill spouse can be both rewarding and challenging. The tips below can help you create a caregiving plan that works for your family.

Communicate

It’s important to have honest discussions with not only your spouse, but also other family members and friends about your spouse’s care needs. Your spouse should share their expectations for care, and you should discuss your concerns and boundaries. Work together to create a plan and schedule, and check in with each other periodically or if circumstances change.

Practice Self-Care

We must care for ourselves in order to care for others. It’s crucial that, as a caregiver, you rest and recharge when needed. Burnout is common in family caregivers, as they often put their loved one’s needs above their own. Self-care is different for everyone, but it could look like:

• Eating nutritious meals and snacks
• Exercising
• Prioritizing quality sleep and/or taking naps
• Participating in your hobbies, scheduled activities and religious/spiritual practice
• Meeting with a therapist or counselor

Accept Help

Make a list of your daily or weekly tasks that need to be completed. When a friend or family members asks how they can help, pick a task from that list that would free up some of your time or mental load. This could be:

• Picking up a prescription
• Making a meal
• Scheduling a doctor’s appointment
• Walking your dog
• Sitting with your spouse so you can take a break

Seek Professional Assistance

Sometimes caregiving is just too much for one person to manage. That’s okay! In-home care can be a great help to you and your spouse, and there are different levels of care available depending on the patient’s specific health needs.

• Personal Care Services: Our personal care services team assists with activities of daily living, home safety or personal care. This includes bathing, meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry and grocery shopping.
• Skilled Home Health: With a focus on recovery, rehabilitation and health education, our skilled home health team provides a wide range of clinical health services – such as skilled nursing, wound care, physical therapy and occupational therapy – to help your loved one manage their health effectively and safely at home.
• Behavioral Health: Behavioral health care supports individuals with a wide range of behavioral and psychiatric health conditions, like anxiety and depression, with a focus on assessment, education and action plans.
• Hospice Care: Hospice care is a benefit that includes expert, compassionate individualized care which focuses on personal goals and optimizes quality of life for people facing life-limiting illness.

Though caring for an aging spouse is often a labor of love, you don’t have to do it alone. Contact Elara Caring today to learn more about how we can support you on this journey and make caregiving easier on you and your loved ones.

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If you’re interested in caregiving career, visit our website to see open positions in your area and apply online today.