The Many Roles of a caregiver of the elderly or terminally ill.
On a daily basis we at Oliver's Funeral Chapel have the absolute honor and privilege of meeting with family members who have cared for their aging spouse, parents, or perhaps a terminally ill loved one. We are inspired by their stories of service, sacrifice, and testimony of love.
Let's take a look at the many roles modern caregivers play:
Advocate: Those we are caring for often need assistance asking the right medical, financial and other questions. A family caregiver makes sure a loved one is not alone when facing tough decisions.
Nurse: Doctor appointments, daily meds, symptom monitoring, aches and pains, caregivers are there to help.
Consoler: When a loved one is frustrated, exhausted, and needs a moment to vent, a family caregiver listens and helps provide emotional support.
Companion: Caregivers help their loved one avoid loneliness by playing cards, reading or watching television.
Helper: Caregivers carry out the everyday tasks that still need to be tended to: shopping, cleaning, pulling weeds, managing the household while assisting their loved ones with activities of daily living.
Chef: Whether a loved one can no longer make meals or the doctor has ordered a new diet, a caregiver is often the one who cooks for the entire family.
Merrymaker: When aging or illness brings a loved one down, a caregiver helps keep spirits high, offering hope, smiles, even though, sometimes, their own spirits are hurting too.
Do you know of a caregiver? Caregivers need to hear words of encouragement and affirmation, that what they're doing matters and counts. Perhaps you could offer to cook a meal, or cover a shift with the loved one, allowing the caregiver a much needed break, assist with some house chores, or pick up a coffee or tea for the caregiver and stop by for a visit.
At Oliver's Funeral Home – we respectfully salute all our caregivers; family, friends, nurses and doctors – they truly are our community's unsung heroes.
Sources: R & Beach, S. 1999 Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality.
780.532.2929, www.oliversfuneralhome.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment