How Do You Learn to Be a Caregiver, Anyway?

Whether you’ve known for a long time that you’re going to be a family caregiver or you’re thrust into the situation with no notice, it’s intimidating to have to figure out how to be a caregiver on your own.

Talk to Your Loved One’s Doctors

Start with your elderly loved one’s doctors. They can tell you what kind of care your loved one needs most now and in the future. Depending on her current health conditions, there may be some specific information you need as a new caregiver to make sure your loved one is properly taken care of.

Learn Tricks and Skills from Her Therapists

If your loved one has access to care from physical therapists or occupational therapists, these people can help you to learn some tricks and skills to make caregiving easier, too. You’ll learn how to accommodate your elderly loved one’s needs and how to make it easier for her to do things for herself.

Read up on Caregiving

Between the Internet, libraries, and bookstores, you’re likely going to be able to find a ton of reading material about caregiving. Read as much of these types of materials as you can get your hands on. Some is written by caregivers just like you while other books and sites are written by experts in caregiving. You never know what all you’ll learn that you didn’t already know.

Join a Support Group

When you join a support group, you’ll have firsthand access to other caregivers who can help you learn the ropes. Some support groups are informational and educational, which means that they may host speakers and sessions that actively teach you about caregiving. Others are more of a supportive, sharing group of people with whom you can share questions and concerns.

Bring in Non-Medical Caregivers

For personalized help learning how to be a caregiver, you can’t get much more hands-on than hiring non-medical caregivers. These experienced care providers can help both you and your elderly loved one by offering them assistance with the tasks of daily living – which you can observe. By learning while watching a professional, you can be confident in caring for your loved one when home care is not there, and up until such a time that home care takes over permanently.