It’s the question that keeps many of us up at night. It’s the thought that can permeate both the new home health aide and the most seasoned caregiver. It’s the need to ask: am I doing this right?
As caregivers, it’s only natural to want to be successful and effective in our efforts. The following will provide four easy tips for being an effective caregiver!
1. Know your own strengths
The best way to be an effective caregiver is to know what you can accomplish. Be aware of what you personally excel at and target any potential areas that may seem challenging to you. Having an awareness of your strengths and weaknesses provides a foundation of knowledge for your own caregiving abilities.
2. Establish healthy boundaries
Once you have pinpointed what you can and cannot do, use this information to set healthy boundaries with who you are caring for. Carve out some time to discuss what will help you excel as a caregiver.
You can spend this time negotiating moments for self care, finding tasks that can be delegated to others, and creating a system in the event of caregiver burnout.
3. Establish a caregiving network
Establishing a caregiving network is one of the best ways to be an effective caregiver. This is a team of others who can assist in daily caregiving needs. It’s important to note that a caregiving network is not solely the registered nurse or home health aide.
A caregiver network is the support system that empowers you to provide the most efficient care possible. It’s the neighbor who can help walk the dog, a family member who can assist with medication management, or a friend who can provide a home-cooked meal.
Reach out to the people in your life and see if they can help take on a weekly or monthly task. You never know who can offer help until you ask!
4. Do your research
If you want to be an effective caregiver, it’s important to be as knowledgeable as possible about your loved one’s needs. Educate yourself on their ailment, the potential side effects of medication, their medical history, and any applicable recovery process.
This research doesn’t need to fall entirely on your shoulders. Reach out to your healthcare and caregiving network for help. Have a cloud-based storage document where you can compile findings, diagnoses, research, and relevant data. Seeks to provide the best advice for nurses from nurses, especially when it comes to caregiving.