This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

What Caregivers Can do to Manage Holiday Stress

In our previous blog, we offered tips for seniors to enjoy the holidays. Now, we’d like to focus on the caregivers. We know that caregiving is one of the most important jobs, and if you’re not taking care of yourself then how can you take care of others?

 

1.      Don’t be afraid to ask for help: It’s okay, and indeed essential, to ask for help. When planning a family gathering, ask your extended family to bring a side dish or dessert to share. Ask the kids to clean up after dinner. Make a game of it. Tell the kids that there’s a prize for the child who washes the most dishes.

Find out what's happening in Ladue-Frontenacwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

2.      Plan, plan and plan some more: Now is the time to plan your holiday party and family gatherings. By preparing in advance, you will have time to think about special needs for your senior, potential hazards, or conflicts in schedule. Of course, no one can plan for everything, but the more details you outline now, the better your holiday experience will be in the long run. So, ultimately, it is important to stay flexible. 

Find out what's happening in Ladue-Frontenacwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

3.      Lean on people who understand: If your family seems unsympathetic towards your caregiving situation, it often means that they simply don't understand what you are going through -- or what your relative is experiencing, either. In times like these, reach out to people who do understand, such as members of a local support group or people you've grown to trust.

 

4.      Get feedback from your family after the holidays: It may be tempting for some of your family members to offer advice (and unfortunately, criticisms) about how you should be taking care of your relative while they are visiting for the holidays. The way to diffuse this is to tell them before they arrive that there will be no discussions about your loved one's care during the gathering. Instead, you'd like to follow-up with them after the holidays are over to hear their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.

 

As always, MediNurse can step in and provide Registered Nurses to help in times of need. Our staff can offer support from as little as a phone call a day, to 24-hours, round the clock care. For more information, call us at 314.781.2800 or visit www.medinurse.com

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Ladue-Frontenac