If you are the caregiver for an aging family member, your days may seem too short. Elderly care requires relatives to manage many responsibilities. This juggling act often includes working outside the home and having school-age children.

In honor of National Family Caregiver Month, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the amazing work elder caregivers do every day.

A Day in the Life of a Family Caregiver

In addition to a family caregiver’s own family and career responsibilities, elderly care requires loved ones to assume many roles:

  • Home care aid: Assisting an older family member with personal care is common. Bathing, grooming, and dressing are often tasks caregivers complete every morning. They may also need to help with toileting and continence care.
  • Chef: Planning and preparing meals is another standard task for family caregivers. Maintaining a healthy diet is important at every age, but especially for older adults who may have a weakened immune system.
  • Nurse: This is an aspect of caregiving families usually struggle to feel confident doing. While some tasks aren’t very complex, such as taking blood pressure or managing medications, others are more clinical. Changing the dressings on wounds and monitoring blood sugars are two that may take a while to feel comfortable with.
  • Personal shopper: From grocery shopping to picking up prescriptions and medical supplies, family caregivers run many errands. It’s one of the most time-consuming parts of elderly care.
  • Accountant: Keeping a parent’s finances in order is also common. Paying bills, monitoring investments, and keeping the elder from falling victim to a financial scam are essential. Family caregivers may also need to help with Medicare open enrollment, insurance claims, and similar issues.
  • Housekeeper: Vacuuming, dusting, doing the laundry, and mopping the floors are just a few household chores family caregivers do. Some find it helpful to hire an in-home caregiver or professional home care agency to assist with these duties.
  • Handyman: Older adults may need a helping hand to keep their home in good repair. Some tasks aren’t safe for seniors, especially those who struggle with mobility or balance issues. Washing windows, cleaning gutters, changing light bulbs, and other chores that require a ladder can be dangerous.
  • Chauffeur: Driving a family elder to and from doctors’ appointments can keep family caregivers busy. They may also provide rides to the beauty/barber shop, gym, outpatient rehabilitation center, and lab.
  • Companion: Watching old movies, playing dominoes, and making crafts build lasting memories. While family caregivers cherish this role the most, daily demands may leave little time for leisure activities.

When you add it all up, it’s easy to see why caregivers often feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Home Care Services

When the demands of caregiving feel overwhelming, enlisting the assistance of a home care agency can help. They can free you from some of the mundane tasks so you can spend meaningful time with your elderly loved one.

One of our local senior care advisors can help you start your search. Call us at 800-304-8061 to learn more. Our guidance is always free for older adults and their family members!

Photo by Katarzyna Grabowska on Unsplash