Caregiving is not an easy job for it requires time, effort, and attention. The complexity of caregiving lies behind the idea that the caregiver should sacrifice his or her personal time in order to provide enough care to the one that badly needs it. Everyone can be a caregiver but not all can survive it for it requires a lot. Also, there are no established rules in caregiving. One must be physically and mentally prepared before everything else because this is one tough job.
Caregivers can be hired or not, depending on the decision of the patient’s family if they will be hiring a caregiver form renowned caregiving agency or if one member of the family would volunteer. Regardless if the caregiver is hired or not, given the nature of the job, one should not have a faint heart. Thus, the art of caregiving is definitely intricate and not for everyone. The most beautiful thing about this job, however, is the bond that it creates between the caregiver and the patient.
For those who are about to or are currently taking the caregiving path, here are some substantial tips that can help you get through your caregiving journey:
Extend your patience
Dealing with an aging, disabled, or ill person can be a little too exhausting. The two of you can get into a lot of argument and misunderstanding for you have different beliefs, principles, mindsets, and way of life. Also, the age gap between you two can also be a trigger. The patient already had his or her life figured out while you are still have the rest of your life to figure out. This is where it gets too dreary. In order to carry on with your job, you should extend your patience and deepen your understanding. That is the only way for you to be able to fully take care of your patient without bearing a heavy heart or developing a hate towards the person that you are attending.
Work with love, compassion, and respect
Love, compassion, and respect — these are three values which you can earn if you learn to give. Taking care of someone that no longer has the capacity to look out for his or himself due to health issues or natural aging is difficult, especially for those who does not have a solid experience in caregiving. The job can become a burden and can come to the point that you cannot take care of your own self because of being too focus on work. However, if you mix an ounce of love, compassion, and respect in your work, these burdens, tiredness, and other issues will slowly vanish. A lot of realizations and pros will appear in return, such as understanding the condition and needs of the patient will come into view, generating more courage to continue the work that has been started will spark to your mind, and creating a little space in your heart for the one you are nurturing will happen all of a sudden.
Give them a little ounce of freedom
Freedom is not something that is earned nor bought, it is automatically given to people from their moment they went out from their mothers’ wombs. It is a person’s right, technically speaking. That is why in caregiving, you should not put too much pressure and tighten your grip on your patient in order for them to enjoy the little things in life or the things that they want to do while they still can. Your duty is to ensure their safety and focus on their well-being; thus, do not exert too much effort in denying them the things that they want if those are still possible to make. Let them be who they are and do the activities that they want for they have the right of doing it. It is comprehensible if both of you can get into little arguments for one party do not permit the request of the other. However, take some time to understand the situation of the patient, as well as the pros and cons of his or her request, before you decide for the betterment of both parties.
Do not be so hard on yourself
There are many ways to provide care for someone. These methods can be the simple ones, like constantly allocating your time and attention, or the demanding ones, like feeding or bathing him or her. Furthermore, it has been already stated that caregiving is an intricate art. For starters, it could get into your skin while for tenured, it can be as easy as one-two-three. The intricacy of caregiving can become too much to handle, but with the right measures and stress relievers the difficulties can be overcome in no time. Thus, as a caregiver, do not put too much pressure on yourself. Also, avoid getting drowned to the thoughts of having to give proper care to someone based from the fundamentals of caregiving. There are no right or wrong in nurturing people for it only needs three things — which is love, effort, and attention, and the rest will naturally come fall into place. That said, take a moment to learn more about caregiving by reading books about the subject. There are various caregiving books you can find in the avenue of literature, example is One Caregiver’s Journey by Eleanor Gaccetta. You can also relax and breathe in order to let all the negative energies that are bothering your mind.
The Happy Hammock 