What Do Caregivers Need Most?

Statistics say that ten thousand Baby Boomers are reaching the status of “senior” (age 65) every day.

As these older adults age, more and more adult children are becoming family caregivers for an aging parent or two.

A task that is highly stressful, no matter how much you want to help a loved one.

Whether your senior loved one is struggling with a chronic disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, mental health issues or other medical conditions – your caregiving duties can place a huge burden on you and your family.

I want to stress how important it is that any family caregiver / professional caregiver take care of their own health, physical and mental.

Family caregiving is very difficult and should not be left to just one person.

What A Caregiver Needs

Physical and emotional support are what most home caregivers need. Physical help to care for senior loved ones includes help with daily tasks, decision-making, preparing meals, running errands and performing chores. Also, caregivers need emotional support to deal with the stress of caring for an elderly person.

One way that support can be provided is to use the services of professionals such as social workers, health care aides and geriatric care managers.

These pros can help with everything from respite care to important decision making on all sorts of matters.

They can save you so much time and energy!

Another form of support to consider are attending caregiver support groups.

It can be extremely helpful to learn about the difficult situation that other home caregivers are dealing with and also how they are caring for their own needs.

Check your local resources for caregiver support groups nearby.

With the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP reporting that about 43.5 million people have given unpaid care to an adult or child in the past year across the United States, it is clear that caregivers need to watch out for their own well being.

The issue of caregiving—with the exponential growth in the number of caregivers; the huge costs to society, families, and individuals; and the development of effective interventions to address caregiver burden and health—has become a public health priority of national concern.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

My role as a primary caregiver began with my mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis and continued for the next four and a half years after she passed, as I took care of my elderly father.

It was a very difficult time for me and my family.

While I found that caregiving was very rewarding, it was also very stressful on several levels.

Tending to personal care issues such as bathing and dressing for my elderly parents was, at times, physically and emotionally overwhelming.

A caregiver is impacted mentally, physically, and emotionally.

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, family caregivers provide an average of 20 hours of care per week, with the majority caring for an aging loved one.

Caringacross.org

The amount of time and stress that both the family caregiver and care recipient are under can greatly impact not only the quality of life for the senior, but the family and the caregiver as well.

And, for the caregiver, compassion fatigue can become a real issue.

9 Signs That Caregivers Need Help

As I mentioned, it can be tough for some family caregivers to ask for help for many reasons:

• Guilt (like me, you may feel guilty that you can’t take care of everything by yourself or that you are imposing on someone else)
• Being uncomfortable asking for help
• No time to research alternatives
• Unaware that there are resources that can help
• No money to pay for an outside caregiver
• Cultural concerns that keep you from seeking external help
• Their own poor physical health requiring medical care
• None or poor transportation to take their senior to doctor’s appointments, etc.
• Living in an area that doesn’t have many (or any) resources that meet your specific needs

How To Ask For Help As A Caregiver

Caregiver burnout is very real and I can’t stress enough how important it is for caregivers to ask for help.

So I urge you to make your phone calls, reach out to friends and family (and healthcare providers too) for the help you need.

The important things to remember are:

• Recognize that you need help
• Make a specific request
• Know that you will likely have to ask for help more than once
• Plan that your requests for help with be ongoing
• Use community resources

Recognize That You Need Help

The greatest gift you can give to yourself (if you are a caregiver) is to ask for and accept help from others.

The first step caregivers need to do when asking for help is recognizing that you need some help.

We often get into the day to day role of taking care of someone and just start managing things as they occur.

It’s like constantly putting out fires, as the saying goes.

Caregiving is often a 24/7 job, and everyone needs a break sometimes. Getting away can give you perspective and remind you that there’s a world outside.

Caregiver.org

Caregivers frequently don’t have the time or brain power to think of alternatives.

And when they do ask for help, it can either fall on deaf ears or the person being asked just doesn’t understand the need for it.

“You seem to have things under control” is something I heard a lot.

This can happen for several reasons. Maybe you are just “hinting” that you need help, but aren’t specifically saying that you need it.

Or it could be that the people you are asking aren’t capable of understanding just how much you want or need their help (or aren’t in a position to give it).

Make A Specific Request

When asking for help as a caregiver, be specific. Saying, “Jane, I need you to please take Mom to her cardiology appointment on Tuesday” is more likely to get a positive response.

Don’t just hint by saying something like, “I’m so busy with Mom that I don’t know how I’m going to get her to her cardiology appointment.”

In my case, I felt guilty about asking people directly for help, so when I dropped hints and they didn’t respond, it was even more frustrating for me.

Another tip is to plan ahead, if possible.

You are more likely to get help from a sibling or friend if you request it in advance so they can free up their schedules.

Ask More Than Once

AARP recommends having a heart-to-heart conversation with the person from whom you are requesting help.

Tell them your concerns and the reasons why you need help.

Get their suggestions for solving the problem and also let them know what would help you the most.

Next, ask what they are able to do to lend a hand. Maybe they can take your loved one to doctor appointments or are willing to do a little light housekeeping.

Every little bit helps to give you a break.

Plan To Keep Asking

Human nature being what it is, you may get help once, but people probably won’t step up again unless you ask them.

Also, the need for more help may increase if something changes.

Additionally, friends or family members who aren’t involved day to day may not realize you could use continuing help, which means you’ll need to keep communicating your needs to them.

Use Community Services

There are many national services that can be used such as Eldercare Locator and A Place For Mom.

There may also be a local area agency or some community organizations that can help as well.

There are many home care agencies that can also provide help.

A geriatric care manager can help you to identify which ones are best suited for your needs.

How Do You Help Someone Who Is A Caregiver?

Some caregivers are taking care of their loved ones in their own homes or they are traveling to the home of the senior. Either way, help is most likely needed at any point in time.

• Offer the caregiver a break
• Pamper the caregiver
• Help the caregiver financially
• Take over research for the caregiver
• Don’t criticize the caregiver
• Volunteer to drive their senior loved one to the grocery store, senior centers, doctor’s office, etc.

Caregivers Need A Break – I was the only one near enough to help my parents. My only sibling lived four hours away.

She came down roughly every two to three months for a weekend, which gave me a much needed break.

Being a caregiver is stressful, both emotionally and physically.

It isn’t always easy to maintain a cheerful attitude while handling someone else’s physical needs, setting up their medications, paying their bills, making sure they have food and supplies, taking them to appointments, etc.

If it is at all possible for you to give a family caregiver a break, please offer to do so. Even a couple of hours off will be beneficial.

If you aren’t in a position to sit with the person they are caring for, you can still do something to help: offer to walk their dog, pick up their groceries, mow the lawn, drive the person they are caring for to a doctor visit…

There are a thousand different things you can do that will help take an errand or task off their plate.

Ask the caregiver to make a list, then you choose what you can do according to the time or resources you can give.

If you aren’t in the same town, you can still do things like arranging for a meal delivery one evening so they don’t have to cook or hiring a lawn service to cut their lawn.

Senior Companion Programs – Encourage the caregiver to seek out help from senior companion programs like Eldercare.com or the many local and national programs that are available throughout the world.

Not all caregivers need someone to provide that level of care, though. Some may just need a helper to give them a little time to themselves or to run errands and do tasks that wouldn’t otherwise get done. For these situations, the solution may be to hire a companion, which is what Leslie Koc, a retirement coach in Bend, Ore., did for her husband, Tom.

Nextavenue.org

Also, discuss senior housing options such as an assisted living facility, nursing home or any other option if the caregiving task is taking it’s toll.

Caregivers Need Pampering – While she was here over a weekend, my sister always made a point to do something special for me.

She often took me out to lunch or brought me things she knew I liked (chocolate, wine, my favorite flowers).

She enjoys creating cool nail art, so once she arrived with the essentials for a pedicure, and then spent the afternoon spoiling me.

If there is a family caregiver in your life, try to think of a way to spoil them, too. Get them a gift basket with items to create a soothing bath or an essential oil diffuser to help them relax.

The idea is that they become the important person for a short time. It’s a special sort of “thank you” that shows you care.

As another example, my dad once surprised me with a spa day. He told me I had been to my parent’s place so often and had given up a lot of my time, so they wanted me to know I was appreciated.

That simple acknowledgement meant so much to me.

Help The Caregiver Financially – Family caregivers often have to quit a job or cut back their hours at work in order to care for a loved one.

If they take a leave from work under the Family Medical and Leave Act (FMLA), they won’t be paid. This can leave caregivers with a financial burden they didn’t plan for.

You can help ease that burden by contributing to your family member’s care (for instance, maybe siblings could split the cost of the caregiver’s grocery bill or pay for their gas).

If that isn’t possible because you aren’t in a position to do so, you can still do things to help with finances.

Investigate options that may be available to your loved one: check into their state’s Medicaid program or the Veteran’s Administration’s Aid & Attendance Program if the family member who requires care is a veteran.

You also can set up a GoFundMe page or something similar.

Those funds can be used to help pay the family caregiver or to pay towards the medical expenses of the ill or disabled person they are helping.

Take Over Research For The Caregiver – When my mom was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, I immediately went into research mode.

For all of our sakes, I needed to know what to expect as her condition progressed so I knew the type of care she would require and whether we would need outside help.

I also had to collect information on things like hospice services, what Medicare benefits covered, and make arrangements for products she would need as her illness worsened.

In the initial days after her diagnosis, I spent my days at work, then ran to their house for the evening after work, and then spent my remaining free time doing research.

It would have been immensely helpful to have had someone else look into some of that for me.

Most of the time, an illness strikes out of the blue, like it did for my mom.

In that case, it can be a problem because the family caregiver probably won’t know where to start the research process.

At a time like that, you could offer to look into some non-vital things – for example, if you know which religious community they belong to, ask if they would like you to set up a visit with a clergy member.

Or ask if it would help if you built a list of nearby home healthcare agencies, then call them to find out their fees and services.

Maybe you could check with your state’s Department of Aging Services to find out what services they would provide.

Think outside the box – if you were in this position, what would you want to know? Make a list, then ask the family caregiver to read through it and tell you which things would help them the most.

What Should You Not Say To A Caregiver?

When talking to a caregiver of a loved one (especially if you are close family, such as a sibling), choose your words wisely.

Here are some things you shouldn’t say to caregivers (and ways to say what caregivers need to hear):

Don’t Criticize The Caregiver – I’m here to tell you, caregiving is tough.

If you aren’t in the trenches with the caregiver, you don’t really know how hard it can be to watch a beloved family member fade away in front of your eyes or to be unable to live life the way they once did.

There are endless decisions to make and innumerable “fires” to put out. Don’t criticize a caregiver because they are likely doing the best they can under the circumstances.

Unless you are willing to jump in and help, please remember to be supportive instead of judgmental.

Don’t Say “You Should…” – Unless you are willing to take on some of the responsibility of the person’s care, do not offer advice.

Saying, “You should…” puts the other person on the defensive immediately.

You are also assuming that they haven’t already tried whatever it is that you think is a better solution.

Instead of saying, “You should…” offer praise for the job the caregiver has done thus far.

In my mom’s case, my out of town sibling once told me I “should have” hired a part-time nurse’s aide sooner than I did because my father wasn’t as capable of helping Mom as we had hoped.

The problem was, my sister didn’t have a job (except for some on/off part time work), while I worked full time plus I drove 80 miles round trips twice a week to help my parents.

Sis only came down to see them every few weeks, so she wasn’t in the trenches and didn’t have to fight with my father, who wanted no part in having a stranger in his home.

You can bet I got defensive when she said this because I was doing the best I could!

A better approach for her would have been to say, “You’re doing a great job, but I know you are struggling. Can I research a way to help Mom so we are sure she’s getting the help she needs without wearing you out?“

Don’t Say, “Put Your Parent In A Nursing Home So You Aren’t So Stressed Out.” – First, have you ever been to a nursing home? I am not putting them all down, but some can be places that will hasten a loved one’s death.

And, nursing homes are notoriously short staffed.

I have been in some where residents were left sitting in their own waste for hours, waiting for staff to help them because they weren’t mobile.

In many cases, families hire their own nurses to attend a loved one in a facility because of staffing concerns.

If your senior loved one is dealing with chronic conditions and you’re thinking of hiring a caregiver – Read our article Caregiver VS CNA.

Then, there is the cost. Nursing homes are very expensive and many families can’t afford them.

If you really want to be helpful to a caregiver who is stressed, offer to run a few errands for them – walk their dog, take their parent to a doctor’s appointment, grocery shop, clean the house, cook them a meal, sit with their parent… you get the idea.

In short, actually be helpful!

Don’t Say, “I Could Never Put My Life On Hold Like You Have.“ – Well, I like to think that anyone would put their life on hold for someone they love (although I know that sometimes it’s really not possible).

The point is, saying you could never put your life on hold implies that your life is somehow more important than mine.

A better thing to say (especially if you are a family member) is something like, “You are doing so much for Mom and I appreciate it. How about if I skip Little Johnny’s t-ball game on Tuesday so I can cook for her and give you a break?”

Offer a concrete thing that you can do (again – grocery shopping, cooking, taking the senior to an appointment, etc).

Don’t just pay it lip service by saying, “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.“

Because – as a caregiver – I am probably too tired and stressed to come up with something you can do, but I would deeply appreciate it if you would just take one thing off my sky-high plate.