Being a caregiver is a meaningful career. It can mean even more when you are caring for a loved one or a family member. Taking on the responsibility of caring for a family member usually entails tasks that go above and beyond standard caregiving services. There are challenges, but they can be dealt with.
Liberty Resources Home Choices provides in-home assistance for seniors and people with disabilities in the Philadelphia metro area and eastern Pennsylvania. Here, we discuss common challenges caregivers face when looking after a loved one and how to overcome them.
Common Hurdles of Being a Caregiver for a Family Member
To begin with, the position of caregiver can involve stressful, difficult times. It takes a special individual to take on this line of work. The job of a caregiver can be even more difficult when caring for a loved one, given the unique challenges you may face. Common challenges you might encounter as a family caregiver include:
Being Afraid to Ask for Help
As a family caregiver, you’re there to help a loved one. Because of this, many family caregivers think they aren’t allowed to ask for help themselves. Sometimes they feel ashamed of asking for help caring for their loved one and therefore bear the weight of the responsibility on their shoulders alone.
As a family caregiver, not asking for help when you need it can have drastic negative effects. Those who refuse to ask for help are at a much higher risk of developing serious health conditions themselves. Overcoming this requires you to accept the fact that you can’t always care for your loved one on your own, and that’s okay.
Lack of Privacy
In many cases, a family caregiver can feel a lack of privacy after taking on the responsibility of tending to a loved one, especially in a smaller space. To overcome this feeling, it’s important to set boundaries with your loved one and provide yourself with opportunities for alone time.
Depression and Isolation
Because most of their time is spent looking after their loved ones, family caregivers are often met with feelings of depression and isolation. They tend to fail to meet their own social needs. As a family caregiver, it’s important to find a good balance between caregiving and your own life. Don’t forget to also make time for yourself and engage in activities you love to do.
Financial Burden
In many cases, in an effort to save their family money, family caregivers aren’t paid for their services. This can result in feelings of financial strain, especially when caregiving takes them away from a paying job. Usually, the longer a family caregiver goes on providing care for a loved one, the more financial strain they feel. Family caregivers can overcome this challenge by having a discussion with other family members, as your family may not be aware of the situation and the financial strain you feel.
Respite Care from Liberty Resources Home Choices
You can’t take care of a family member or loved one to the best of your ability without also taking care of yourself. That is why respite care is so important to families and their caregivers. It provides those who have taken the responsibility to look after a loved one with a much-deserved break from their caregiving duties. Respite care allows caregivers for a family member to attend to their own needs while their loved one is still properly cared for.
Based in Philadelphia and Allentown, PA, Liberty Resources Home Choices offers respite care services to family caregivers in the Philadelphia metro area, as well as eastern Pennsylvania, including Harrisburg, Lancaster, and the Greater Lehigh Valley. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you and your loved one.
