In-Home Care: Tips to Maximize a Caregiver’s Time Off
When was the last time you had a day off? This means a day where you don’t take care of others. You don’t focus on your job. It’s the time where you do things you like that don’t involve helping others. How do you maximize time off when you get it? Did you bring in in-home care providers to assist your loved one?
Don’t Add Too Much to Your List
In-Home Care Palm Beach County FL – In-Home Care: Tips to Maximize a Caregiver’s Time Off
When you have time off, have a schedule of what you want to do that day. Don’t overload your schedule. Limit yourself to things you want to get done. Prioritize them and avoid adding non-essential items to that list.
If you’ve planned a day where you get a haircut, shop for new clothes, and pick up dinner on the way home, stick to that. Don’t add other stops that cause you to run out of time for the three things on your list.
Avoid the Urge to Help Before You Go
When you’re leaving the house, don’t fall into the trap where you stop to do little things before you go. It eats into the time you have off. If you’re leaving and your mom asks you to make her tea first, you’ll lose at least five minutes.
A chain reaction can occur. That five minutes may not seem like much, but it might make traffic heavier. Because there’s more traffic, you need twice as long to get to the shopping center.
Speak Up for Yourself and Say No When Necessary
Make sure you say no to requests that creep into the time you have for yourself. Suppose you set aside one Friday evening each month to go out with friends. Your brother calls and says he has a chance to go to the movies with friends. He usually takes over so that you can go out, but he wants to cancel.
It’s okay to tell others no. If it inconveniences you, speak up. You only ask for help once a month, so it’s not fair of your brother to want you to give up your one day a month. He needs to find someone else.
Learn to Lean on Supportive In-Home Care Aides
How do you take time off when your mom relies on you every day? Take a closer look at in-home care services. Have in-home care aides come to your mom’s home and help her with daily routines while you take care of yourself. Talk to our specialist about in-home care services in your area.