Most often, the care for elderly parents or other family members falls to their adult children and other family members. Often, that is more heavily placed on one family member then on others. And while most say it is a blessing to care for parents as they age, it also can be exhausting and emotionally draining.
At BeeHive Homes of New Mexico, we recognize the challenges that families face and work to assist you however we can. Our respite services offer short term at-home care for seniors, whether that is just a few hours or for a few days so that you can take care of your own health issues or attend a family wedding, for example.
If you are the caregiver for your aging relative, we believe these ideas are helpful for caregivers.
Three Ideas Vital for Caregivers
- Find moments of joy for yourself. The days and nights can be stressful as you watch a person become frailer, battle a chronic illness, or approach the end of life. We encourage you to find moments each day to do something peaceful and pleasurable for yourself. Brew a cup of tea and enjoy it out of a beautiful teacup. Play your favorite song as you watch the sunrise. Spend time in prayer or meditation as you focus on your own breathing and positive affirmations.
- Find others to help. That may sound like an impossible task, but likely there are some resources that you can put into place to help a bit. Can other family members provide a rotation of time or meals to help? Outside resources may also be available. Many communities in New Mexico offer meal programs for the elderly; some counties also offer a service to help with simple housekeeping for seniors who are income eligible. We can help direct you to available resources for at-home care, such as BeeHive Home Care of New Mexico, or our sister company, FootPrints Home Care. Our senior home caregivers can also help, providing as-needed care for showering, dressing, toileting, meal preparation, transportation to medical appointments, and housekeeping.
- Acknowledge reality. We encourage family caregivers to recognize that there is a limit to what they can do versus the impact of the aging process. It is so important to find peace in the process of caring for a family member as they age, but also to understand that you likely cannot change the outcome for a seriously ill or vey elderly parent or a loved one.
So, look for the moments of happiness, encourage the sharing of memories and family history, and very importantly, take care of yourself if you are the family caregiver.
If we can be of help to you, your family or the aging senior adult, please let us know. BeeHive Homes is here to serve the families across central New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe.
