Resilience of the Primary Caregiver
Families across America are primary caregivers to children, aging parents or both… i.e. Sandwich Generation caregivers. It is hard and stressful work to care for an adult, especially those who are cognitively impaired and have Dementia. The primary, family, and usually the spousal caregiver makes everything else run. Their care and resilience ought to be a primary focus of other family members. Otherwise, the adult children will have two parents to care for.
We all need a break from work. We need to recharge, take care of stuff and basically have a break. Well the same is true for spousal an adult children caregivers. Here in South Florida there may be more seniors than in any other state. We likely have a wider choice of services and senior communities. Driving around Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and north to Palm Beach or south through Deerfield Beach, Pompano, Ft. Lauderdale, Tamarac to Hallandale, you will find endless senior developments, housing, physical therapy centers, and other Elder related services. So, getting help in Palm Beach and Broward counties isn’t hard.
Tips to Empower the Resilience of Family Caregivers include:
- Rotating family member visits and assigning tasks. 2. ExploringDay Care and Senior Centers 3. Semi regular Physical Therapy for person receiving care to maintain balance and strength 4. Consider attending aCaregiver Support Group 5. Sticking to a sensible diet, keeping your medical appointments, walking/exercising, taking time for yourself, and socializing during the week. 6. Hiring a home health care aide to be the caregiver, providing respite time. Even twice a week will make a huge difference.
These suggestions do work. In-home assistance takes some of the workload off of the spousal or adult son and daughter, while providing safety and care — resulting in a break for the caregiver and a better quality of life for both.
