What to know about caregiving

What are your first impressions when you hear the word “caregiver?” Hard work, rewarding, both answers are correct!  It’s a tough job but it can be a rewarding one. Caregiving is a huge commitment, it’s important for you to be sensitive and understanding towards others. 

With every profession comes its ups and downs, but it’s important to always remember why you love your job. If you are searching for a new career path or are curious about caregiving, listed below will be some pros and cons.

Pros:

• Work in a home  

• Brush up on your cooking skills 

• Learn life lessons through chatting daily with senior 

• Downtime for activities such as arts and crafts 

• Truly love your job 

Cons:

• Mentally and physically demanding 

• Dealing with bodily functions (urine, vomit, feces) 

• Affect the relationship with family and friends

Despite the hardships that come with this job, you can also learn more about yourself. You are sacrificing to give someone else a more peaceful life. Caregiver responsibilities include being there for whatever they need, whether it’s cooking them meals, transporting them from place to place, cleaning up after them or helping them they perform daily functions. 

One of a caregiver responsibilities is to keep in mind your mental health. A big struggle people have is sleeping. Sleeping affects your mood and how well you perform your job. 

Not being able to sleep affects more than just you, it also affects the person you are caring for and your loved ones. Have you heard of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep? During this time of your sleep, your brain will process emotions that you felt throughout the day. A healthy REM sleep helps keep you emotionally balanced, and an unhealthy one results in snapping at others or yourself over something so miniscule. 

Sleep is important for your body too, lack of sleep may cause weight gain because its disrupts the part of your brain that controls your appetite. When you lack sleep, your brain produces a hormone that makes you crave fatty and sugary foods. This can lead to a weaker immune system making your job harder to care for others. Long-term effects may be heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression or anxiety. 

If you are struggling to sleep try out these tips! First, make your bedroom for sleep only! Try not to use your phone at least 30 minutes before you go to bed, they have a blue light in them, which makes your brain thinks that you are outside and makes you stay awake longer than needed. It’s also important to maintain a healthy sleep schedule. You have a high stress job, but relax try not to put so much weight on your shoulders. Exercise or yoga is a good way to de-stress. You can try new things such as; meditation, deep breathing or even aromatherapy. It’s important to find what works for you and stick with it. 

If you enjoy helping others and want a rewarding job, this is the perfect job for you! If you are looking for a caregiver Akkase Home Health Care is the best, we take care of our caregivers so they can take the best care of your loved ones. 

Are you on the fence about getting in-home health care for your loved one? You should look for a change in their personality/ appearance. Your loved one might have a hard time with simple daily tasks or can’t remember simple things they always used to. If they struggle with their daily medicine or physical activity, it’s time to discuss in-home health care. 

At Akkase Home HealthCare we make sure our caregivers receive the best quality home life so they can provide quality care to your loved one. As a caregiver, you should remember to take care of yourself before you can help others! Contact us today for personal care services.