How In-Home Care Can Support Family Caregivers

Comfort Keepers can help support you and your loved one.

Caring for a loved one can be a rewarding experience. Providing support, both emotionally and physically during a difficult time, can bring you close together and allow for precious time together. However, caring for loved ones can often take more time and effort than we realize. Most people who require care need around 50 hours of care each week. This is more than a typical full-time job.

As a result, familial carers often neglect their own needs in favor of supporting family members. This can lead to increased levels of stress, anger and emotional fatigue. Being unable to meet your own needs while trying to fulfill the needs of another can lead to damage to your own health as well as breeding resentment and isolation from other aspects of life. 

Your compassion may be limitless, but you are still human in the end. And sometimes, help is needed. For many, the idea of moving a family member to a care home is stressful and a difficult decision to take. However, there is a happy middle ground which means your loved one receives all the care and attention they need, and family members don’t have to feel burdened or miss opportunities. 

First, in-home caregivers can provide a level of professional support that can alleviate some of your daily stresses. From picking up medication, checking prescriptions, and sorting medical appointments to just spending time with your loved one, taking them outside and chatting with them, providing transportation, and installing safety solutions, in-home caregivers can ease the burden. 

Secondly, many family caregivers fear losing control when involving external care. For many, the legal struggles and rules of a care homes place unnecessary restrictions on the loved one when all they need is a little day-to-day help. In-home caregivers can take a back seat when it comes to supporting how you care for your loved one. You can set the support to fit around your schedule and your family members needs. 

Many assume that being cared for by family and friends is the better option compared to involving third-party caregivers. However, studies have shown that familial caregivers who do not take time for themselves can become resentful, lose compassion and empathy. Over many years, this makes them more impatient caregivers, no matter how much they love their family member. As such, getting support from other caregivers can actually improve the quality of care you can give your loved one. 

If you are too stressed and emotionally drained to be looking after yourself or a loved one, you need to get support. This will improve not only your life but also the level of care you can provide. In-home caregivers can provide the support you need to be at your best and provide the best care for a loved one. 

If you are looking to find a way to provide the best in-home support for a loved one, don’t feel that you have to take the whole burden. There are people you can ask for help. Let us help you help them.