Caregivers in Oakbrook, IL Have Lives, Too! 5 Things to Do for Yourself!

When you make the commitment to be a caregiver for an aging loved one, you are making the commitment to dedicate a huge portion of your life to seeing to the physical and cognitive needs of another human being. This is not always easy. No matter how much you love the senior, no matter how strong your commitment to making sure that they enjoy the highest quality of life, providing home care for a senior is physically and emotionally stressful. Compounded by your emotional attachment to the senior, providing ongoing support in unpaid, and unfortunately often under-appreciated, capacity is taxing and exhausting for even the strongest of people. There is really no wonder why caregivers often report a sharp decline in physical and emotional health in the months and years after becoming a dedicated caregiver for senior. Whether you are providing care for loved one on a 24-hour basis, or you are adding providing this care to another career as well as responsibilities to your children, your marriage and other relationships and activities, it is critical that you remember that you have a life to and it is important to take care of yourself.

A caregiver to take the time to take care of herself will be able to provide better care and maintain a stronger relationship than one who does nothing to focus on herself. It is important you release yourself from the guilt that is often experienced by caregivers who wish to take some time for themselves and choose specific things that you will do in order to protect your own physical and emotional well-being. Here are five things that you can do for yourself to keep yourself strong, refreshed and healthy in your role as a senior caregiver:

• Dedicate one hour every day to taking a hot shower or bubble bath. This one hour should be completely yours, and no one should be able to disrupt this time. Indulge in luxurious bath gels, light a candle and even play music if that helps you to relax. Make sure that there is someone else in the home to care for your aging loved ones that you are able to completely relax and enjoy this time to yourself.
• Choose a hobby or activity that you enjoy and give yourself the time at least once a week to participate in this activity.
• If you enjoy reading, buy a new book for yourself once every two weeks and give yourself at least a few hours to read that day, and then half an hour to an hour to read every day.
• Hire an in home care provider to spend one evening a week with your loved one and enjoy a date night with your partner. Whether it is an elaborate dinner and movie, or simply an evening spent sitting in front of the TV and watching your favorite shows, give yourself several hours to focus completely on your relationship and the opportunity to enjoy yourself.
• Contact the home care provider agency in your area to discuss respite care. This type of care allows for family caregivers to take a few days off. This will give you a chance to take a vacation or just spend some time away from your responsibilities as a caregiver for your aging loved one so that you can relax.

For Senior Care Services in La GrangeOakbrook, IL call 708-761-4909. Serving La Grange, Oakbrook, Oak Brook Terrace, Brookfield, Westchester, Downers Grove, Berwyn, River Forest, Oak Park, Hinsdale, Chicago and surrounding communities.