Today, on Your Caregiving Journey, Sheri Samotin, family transition coach, joined us to share tips long-distance family caregivers can use during holiday visits. You can listen to our show via the player at the end of this post.
Sheri shared some great tips, which can apply to all caregiving situations:
–An omission in a routine can indicate the need for more help. For instance, did your care recipient attend worship services religiously until recently? Are bills unpaid? Trips to the grocery store few and far between? (Note: Your own omissions may indicate that you need more help and support, too.)
–Look for appropriate opportunities to discuss your concerns about changes in routines and habits. Holidays are days reserved for creating new memories, reminiscing, enjoying time together, and a large buffet of delicacies. Table these kinds of discussions for another day.
–Before stepping in to make a change or a decision on behalf of your care recipient, ask yourself: Why do I need to fix this? A good answer: Because this will keep my care recipient safe. A not-so-good-answer: Because it’s driving me nuts. If it’s about you and your issues, then it’s not not necessarily good for your care recipient.
(Our next show airs tomorrow at Noon CT when two blog party participants will join us to close out our Holiday Progress Blog Party.)
