5 Great Ways to Making Caregiving Easier

Are you in a season where you have become the caregiver to elderly parents? Is there someone who has begun to be the caregiver for you with your chronic illness? Living in this season of life can be stressful. There are 5 great ways making caregiving easier.

First great way to make caregiving easier is

to grab a notebook for listing all of your medical needs and history. The notebook becomes a help at doctors appointments as you list allergies, previous surgeries and questions. Keeping a list of current medicines and dosages makes caregiving easier. When they are asked what medicines that you take currently, the list makes for easy answers. This notebook can be simple and easily fit into a pocket or a purse.

The next step is to write in your notebook all of the important information like full name, birthdate, allergies, diagnosis, surgeries, doctors names and phone numbers, and medicines that you currently take. Think of this notebook as a one stop for the person in charge of your care. This is not a permission for them to make medical decisions for you. It does give them access to information to better communicate with your doctor, and you as they are caring for your needs. In reality, there are so many times with chronic illness that brain fog sets in. You can not remember this information on the spot.

Secondly, you need to have a calendar for documenting all of the appointments to the doctor , phsysical therapist, and treatment centers. It helps you to monitor other events that are necessary in the life of your family. After all the key is to have a centralized calendar so that you do not miss any important appointments.

The third great caring for the patient easier is

to have a review of the medicines that you take with your caregiver. Let the doctor or nurse practitioner review with you what is important for you to be taking. There are several drugs that interact with one another in a negative way making it important to understand what medicines you should be consuming.

There are proper ways to dispose of medication that your doctor will know. This article gives the guidelines that the FDA recommends for unused drug disposal. Keeping a list inside of ones medicine bag or cabinet of the times of day and amounts you are to take is helpful. With this in mind, another solution to this is having the caregiver sort your pills weekly into a pill case that you can easily use yourself.

Have your caregiver create a basket of comfort items to keep near by your chair or bed. This is an easy grab of items to help you meet your needs. A good place to begin is with Kleenex, cough drops, lip balm, lotion, water, cross word puzzle or book. Having all of these comfort items handy in one spot makes your needs easily met. This simple task allows the caregiver to focus on other needs at the time.

If you require special equipment for your health needs look into renting or borrowing the equipment necessary to best help you. There are so many times that a friend has a spare set of crutches or a wheelchair in storage. You will be helping them by freeing up some space in their home. Insurance does cover certain equipments, but you should check with your current provider before committing to a purchase.

Lastly, the number 5 best way making caregiving easier

is just with the caregiver themselves in mind. They need to make time with their family way from caregiving duties. Planning a date with their spouse or a fun night with the whole family is the medicine to help the caregiver keep their spirits up. The demands of caring for someone with a chronic illness can be trying and difficult. It is best to schedule time away from the task of care and do soul care for the sake of your family. It is also a great way to make caregiving easier when you start your day in God’s Word. Read here for How to Begin An Important Relationship if you are new to Bible reading. In addition to growing your relationship with Christ, it gives you the why of being filled with the promises of God gives you the perspective you need to serve another person.

These five ways to make caregiving easier are just the tip of the caring for others iceberg. Click here for your own Caregivers Guide printable. It is the perfect sheet to share with your caregiver. Please share other ideas that you as someone who requires care or are a caregiver find important-