My experience as a caregiver has given me lots of great insights into being a good caregiver. They include how I can’t just sit around doing nothing. I have to constantly think about what I can do to help. The most valuable insights have come from my own experiences as a caregiver.
I can’t even begin to describe how much I love my job. I’m the person who gets to help out at home the most. There is just so much I can do at home.
So how do you become a good caregiver? It’s actually quite simple. The first thing you must do is know what you want. Ask yourself, “How can I help?” Before you can help others, you must love them. The best way to love someone is to be able to give them what they need. This means you must be able to look into their eyes and see what they are looking for.
The most important part for me (aside from the fact that I am actually a caregiver) is to love what I am giving to my family. Because I care about what they need, and also that they need me. It’s extremely important for me to do what I can to ensure that my family is taken care of. It really is that simple.
This is a tough one. I think the answer is both yes, and no. Yes, because you must be able to look into someone’s eyes, and no, because you should not be giving them what they need. This is why we’re so in favor of our family caregivers getting the best care possible. However, there are some things that come with this that should not be overlooked.
In most cases you are not in charge of your caregiver if they fail. The caregiver has been placed on your care plan to ensure the care is as effective as possible. You are not required to provide or assist in their care, but you are expected to ensure that what they need is being provided. You are not expected to make decisions on your own behalf. If you choose to help them in their care, they should expect you to do so.
Caregiving is a tricky area for this particular post, because there are no guidelines about what you should be doing. What should you be doing? What should you be asking? Should you ask them to do an activity that you have no experience with? How will they react if you ask things that they’re not familiar with? If you ask questions that are new to them, what will they do if you don’t answer? How do you know if you are being helpful? You don’t.
Caregivers are expected to keep themselves in the loop of family members, and often do. It can be hard to know when the family member needs help, or even if he is really sick. To help, the caregiver should expect you to take an interest in the situation. This can include asking questions of the family member when he is not feeling well.
One caregiver who I know personally has been caring for a family member who is in a nursing home. She is a very busy person who is very concerned with his health, but when his family members have questions, she is often quite good at finding a quick answer as well.
I have known many caregivers in my life because I have known a lot of them. Because of that, I am quite familiar with the way caregivers can be very selfish at times. A caregiver can feel that they have to help, but without any real interest in the situation, but that’s a problem. The caregiver may not be able to give the family member the attention that they needs or the information that they need to help themselves.
