Improving Your Caregiver Efforts During New Year’s Resolutions Week
Caregiver in Union County NJ
January 1 through 8 is New Year’s Resolutions Week. Making New Year’s resolutions is a time-honored way to celebrate the end of one year and all of the possibilities and potential of the new year
ahead. While many people make resolutions that are about eating better, being more active, or losing weight, as a family caregiver this is the ideal opportunity for you to focus on ways that you can improve your care efforts and continue to give your aging parent the highest quality of life possible as they age in place. This refreshes your mind and invigorates you for a new year in your care journey, helping you to feel better prepared for the challenges that might come and more dedicated to giving your parent the personalized care that they need while also improving your own life as well.
Use these tips to help you improve your care efforts during New Year’s Resolutions Week:
- Review the last year. It is far more difficult to consider how you can improve your care if you do not think about the efforts that you have already put forth. Take some time to think about the last year and the care that you gave to your parent. Consider the challenges that you faced, the situations that you do not feel that you handled correctly, and the times when you felt that you did well. Use these lessons to help you structure what you want to accomplish for your care journey in the future.
- Be specific. Just as with goalsetting in any other pursuit, being vague with your resolutions makes them far more difficult to pursue and limits your ability to monitor your progress. Be specific when setting these resolutions so that you are able to follow through with them accurately. For example, do not just say that you want to get your parent exercising more. Instead, specify that you want them to walk three days a week and do a senior aerobics class twice a week. This will help you to identify when you have accomplished your goal and can move forward.
- Share them. It is fine to have some resolutions that are private, but when it comes to accomplishing goals, having others to keep you motivated and accountable can make all the difference in your ability to keep going. Share your caregiver resolutions with your elderly parent as well as your partner, other members of your care team, and even your support group if you are a part of one. This will help to better clarify what you want to accomplish and provide you with a source of support and encouragement if you start to fall back on your progress.
- Think about yourself as well. Making resolutions about being a caregiver does not have to be all about the efforts that you put forth for your parent. Make resolutions that are about caring for yourself and improving your own life as well. This can include setting aside time for yourself on a regular basis, having date nights with your partner, maintaining your own interests, and pursing health and well-being in your daily routine.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional caregiver services in Union County, NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.
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