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3 Reasons to Hire a Caregiver to Assist with Home Care

Caregivers can help care for aging adults and seniors in a number of ways, from assistance with eating, sleeping or mobility to more comprehensive health and wellness needs. While family members often choose to become the caregiver of their loved one, hiring a thoroughly trained caregiver can make a vast difference in the quality of home care they receive. This is because professional caregivers are provided with continuous training on new and emerging technology, safety procedures and care specialties to ensure optimal safety and support. For those with aging loved ones, here are three additional reasons to consider hiring a home care caregiver.

1. Family Dynamics Change

Although many family members may be on the same page about the level of care an elderly loved one requires, others may not be. Furthermore, their feelings on their specific care needs and requirements may change. Family relationships often experience strain at one point or another, and pent up issues may resurface when caregiver questions arise and arguments ensue.

Affirming this notion, the Family Caregiver Alliance states, “Providing care for an aging or ill parent can bring out the best and the worst in sibling relationships. Ideally, the experience of caregiving is a time for siblings to come together and provide mutual support to one another. However, as a stressful transition, the pressure can also lead to strained connections and painful conflict.”

For these reasons, families find hiring a caregiver who is not a direct family member helpful. Without predetermined ideas or opinions, a caregiver can help families make unbiased decisions on what is truly best for the loved one in need of home care. Knowing that a loved one’s best interest is the priority can provide family members with security and peace of mind. This also assists in ensuring that the loved one’s state and current needs are frequently assessed by a home care professional with experience regarding the signs and symptoms associated with aging.

2. Family Caregiving Burnout

As family caregivers are not typically provided with the same training as a professional caregiver, they do not always know what to expect when caring for a loved one long term. Not all designated family caregivers have any medical experience at all, so knowing the ins and outs of providing home care may present an added challenge. Between learning how to best provide home care and actually engaging in care-related duties, these family members can become rapidly overwhelmed and burnt out.

Alternatively, a trained professional has the skills to provide quality care as needed. When a caregiver is employed to care for an individual, their job is to support the client in need of care. For many family members turned caregivers, they need to find a way to balance their existing jobs and responsibilities with the added duties that come with becoming a caregiver.

Caregivers are prepared with the knowledge and skills to cope with the many responsibilities and management associated with home care. Hiring a professional caregiver is a way to make sure that all home care needs are being met, without a family member becoming spread too thin subsequently neglecting elements of their existing lives.

3. Home Care is a Learned Skill

Just because an aging adult is a member of someone’s family does not mean a family member is best suited to become their caregiver. Home care services require a level of skill that is learned and must be acquired through proper education and instruction. Caregivers must have a basic knowledge of health care terms, medical conditions, prescription administration and emergency response procedures. Under certain circumstances, tough decisions need to be made, for which having experienced this home care learning curve is incredibly important.

One instance in which extensive home care knowledge is imperative arises when addressing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The onset of memory loss requires a caregiver who is well aware of the challenges that are commonly associated with these conditions. Learning how to care for someone experiencing memory loss can keep a trained caregiver from being surprised by certain situations they may encounter. Professional caregivers have the ability to provide clients the support that is currently required while keeping family members up to date and planning for their future home care needs.

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How to Manage COVID-19-Related Stress

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted everyone, including seniors and aging adults who receive support from a home care provider. Due to precautions and restrictions, many elements of everyday life have been disrupted, causing stress and anxiety. While increased vaccination efforts present a hope of life returning to normal, the need to cope with the stress of the pandemic continues into the immediate future. To help manage the stress of these circumstances, here are four tips to help overcome these feelings and remain positive:

Focus on positivity

One way to overcome the stress associated with COVID-19 isolation and abnormalities is by striving to focus solely on the positive elements of present-day life. Often, positive thinking begins with what is referred to as “self-talk.” This is the chatter that runs through a person’s head throughout all hours of the day. Transforming negative thoughts into positive thoughts begins here.

When a negative thought comes to mind, each person has the ability to stop and assess this thinking. Then, they can choose to find positivity in each situation. For example, instead of thinking about how isolating COVID-19 circumstances can feel, someone can choose to focus on the fact that they are not currently infected with the virus. Something that can help to identify positive aspects of everyday life is to create a list of things that the person is grateful for.

These strategies can greatly assist in stress management because, according to Mayo Clinic, “When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you’re better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.”

Find a new hobby

Another way to mitigate COVID-19-related stress is by establishing a new hobby. This helps reallocate time — that would otherwise be spent stressing — on new sources of creativity and entertainment. Whether someone chooses to take on crafting or simply decides to dedicate time to reorganizing or cleaning their home, these actions establish a sense of fulfillment and reward. All of these activities divert one’s attention away from anxious thoughts, while potentially developing new sources of passion.

Take a deep breath or meditate

Relaxation is an important element of mindfulness. Although everyone has different relaxation preferences, learning how to become less tense or anxious can make a vast impact on overall wellness. When stress from the coronavirus begins to feel overwhelming, taking a deep breath or engaging in mediation can help someone to rid themselves of these feelings. Other ways to destress are to take a warm bath, spend time with pets, watch something comforting on TV or call a loved one.

In terms of breathing and meditation, by bringing an individual’s attention to these exercises, they can simultaneously take their mind off the anxiety. There are a number of applications today that can help accomplish this, including the Calm and Headspace apps. Calm is a software company that produces meditation products, including guided meditations and Sleep Stories. Headspace also offers guided meditation through audio sessions where one of the company’s co-creators leads listeners on a journey of contemplation.

Develop a walking routine

A fourth strategy to overcome COVID-19 stress is to incorporate exercise into a daily routine. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins — chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers — and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress.

Further, the ADAA shares that scientists have found that “regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem.” So a simple 20- to 30-minute walk can greatly improve one’s feelings of stress and anxiety.

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Celebrate National Nutrition Month During March 2021

Nutrition is an important element of home care, and since March is National Nutrition Month, this is the perfect month to assess one’s diet and health. This annual campaign was established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to encourage everyone to learn how to make informed food choices and develop healthy eating and physical activity habits. Everyday Home Care realizes there is no single approach to nutrition and health, so it offers custom wellness services.

Its home care wellness services include meal planning and a daily meal program to help clients customize their plate to reach optimal nutrition. There are a number of ways to ensure that each client’s meal plan is as special as they are. For example, Everyday Home Care caregivers factor in healthy histories, food allergies, dietary preferences and known conditions when curating a daily meal program. 

These factors tie in with the 2021 National Nutrition Month theme, “Personalize Your Plate,” which is something all Everyday Home Care clients can expect. In accordance with guidelines from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, there are specific ways in which older adults can obtain the proper nutrition they need. First and foremost, this includes staying hydrated throughout the day. Other ways to build a healthy plate include:

  • Making sure half of each plate consists of fruits and vegetables.
  • Making at least half of all grains whole.
  • Switching to fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese.
  • Varying protein choices.
  • Limit sodium, saturated fat and added sugars.
 In addition to these suggestions, Everyday Home Care caregivers provide meals that are enjoyable and of mindful portion sizes. Research shows that people unintentionally consume more calories when faced with larger portions. Oversized portions can be avoided by using smaller plates, bowls and glasses as well.

For those helping to provide care for aging loved ones, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also shared 20 general health tips as part of the 2021 campaign. These tips serve as guiding principles but may vary in effectiveness, depending on a person’s current health status and ability. Authored by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics staff members, who are registered dietitian nutritionists, this full nutrition tips list includes: 

  1. Eat breakfast.
  2. Make sure half of the plate includes fruits and vegetables.
  3. Watch portion sizes.
  4. Be active.
  5. Get to know food labels.
  6. Fix healthy snacks.
  7. Consult an RDN.
  8. Follow food safety guidelines.
  9. Drink more water.
  10. Get cooking.
  11. Order out without ditching goals.
  12. Enact family mealtime.
  13. Banish “brown bag” boredom.
  14. Reduce added sugars.
  15. Eat seafood twice a week.
  16. Explore new foods and flavors.
  17. Experiment with plant-based meals.
  18. Make an effort to reduce food waste.
  19. Slow down at mealtime.
  20. Supplement with caution.
While clients may find implementing all of these tips at once challenging, Everyday Home Care recommends gradually implementing ones needing improvement throughout the month of March. Use this National Nutrition Month to reconsider what is being consumed daily to work toward a happy, healthier lifestyle. To help evaluate the wellness care needs of a loved one, schedule a free quality care assessment with Everyday Home Care today.

About the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1917, by a visionary group of women dedicated to helping the government conserve food and improve the public’s health and nutrition during World War I. 

Today, the academy represents more than 100,000 credentialed practitioners — registered dietitian nutritionists, dietetic technicians, other dietetics and nutrition professionals holding undergraduate and advanced degrees in nutrition and dietetics, and students — and is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.

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