When caring for an elderly family member, it can be difficult to find a good balance of time.  On one hand, you want to give the family member all of the care that he needs and deserves.  On the other hand, you want to have time to live your own life.  It is a difficult balancing act that is often never discussed.  Here are some ways that you can begin to achieve the beginning of balance.
1. Ask for help from family.  If you are spending much of your time caring for the senior, recruit other family members to help.  Whether they can come to help once a week, prepare a few meals, or help financially, some of the stress and pressure will be taken from you.
2. Plan a date night.  Are you having trouble finding the time to connect with your spouse while much of your attention is spent caring for your senior parent?  Put a date night on the calendar.  Plan in advance to arrange any substitute care.  Often, if you don’t get the plans in the works, it will never happen.
3. Research in-home care.  Everyone needs a break once in a while, and in-home care is there to give you that time.  Many people feel better about leaving the house when they know that a professional caregiver is there in case of emergencies.  Give yourself some time to get refreshed so that you can be a better caregiver and a better partner.
 
At Freedom Home Care we offer personalized Caregiver Services that are tailored to the needs of our patients. We also offer Elder Care to assist elderly who are living at home and need help with simple daily tasks such as cooking and cleaning.
Source: Quad-City Times