Caregiver Respite: Are you thriving or just surviving?
Caregiver Respite: Are you thriving or just surviving?
The definition of surviving is “to continue to live or exist,” while thriving means “to grow or develop well, to prosper or flourish.” Which one of these definitions best describes you today?
For family members who are the primary caregiver for a loved one, you may have answered, ‘surviving,’ and you would not be alone. Being a caregiver AND being a spouse, parent, employee and friend can be challenging. How can you do it all?
Sometimes it becomes a Catch-22: if you spend time with your loved one, you feel like you are ignoring your family or job; if you spend time with your family or doing your job, you are ignoring your loved one. The stress can wear anyone down.
Here are 3 tips to thrive, not just survive, while being a caregiver for a senior loved one:
Prioritize. Whether you prioritize your month, week or day (or all of the above), understand what the most important things are that need to be done. Work down your list, checking items off as you go. If someone else can help you finish a task, ask for their assistance. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Don’t sweat the small stuff.- Understand Your Emotions. How do you feel? Physically, emotionally, mentally. Being a caregiver is hard work on top of everything else you have to do. Does that make you sad, mad, frustrated or stressed? Understand why you feel how you do and work to change those feelings. By improving your emotional state, you can improve your physical and mental states as well. This will put you in a much better position to care for your loved one, yourself and your other family members.
Have ‘Me’ Time. Whether you just go for an hour massage or yoga class, or get away for a day, take time to recharge your batteries. Make sure you put ‘me’ time towards the top of your priority list so it doesn’t get pushed to the side. No one will fault you for wanting to have a little time to yourself. Again, with a little time to yourself, you will be in a much better position to care for your loved one, yourself and your other family members.
Prioritize. Whether you prioritize your month, week or day (or all of the above), understand what the most important things are that need to be done. Work down your list, checking items off as you go. If someone else can help you finish a task, ask for their assistance. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Don’t sweat the small stuff.Sometimes it is hard to thrive while being a caregiver when you have other responsibilities to your family, your career and yourself. That is one of the reasons Naperville Senior Center Adult Day Services exists. We create a ‘home away from home’ for your senior loved one AND give the caregiver, you, time to yourself. Whether you need time to be more productive at work, help your kids with their homework, get them to after-school activities or take time for yourself, we provide a safe, fun environment for our Members.
Each day Members spend time socializing, verbalizing, improvising, evangelizing, visualizing, exercising, having fun, and a host of other activities to provide mental and physical stimulation.
Call to action: to learn more about how NSC can provide a respite for you and a great social environment for your loved one, contact our Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Theresa, at 630.857.3017. You can also schedule a tour to see what they have to offer and understand the Naperville Senior Center experience, “Home Away From Home.”
Free TRIAL is for new Members and their caregiver.
The trial visit is Monday-Friday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Tour our adult day services facility.
Observe some fun activities. Join us for lunch. Learn more at our Senior Adult Day Care center FREE TRIAL
Receive Peace of Mind.
*** No obligation! ***
Learn more about Naperville Senior Citizen services and upcoming events.
But this is also a time to teach your kids some independence.
Most people who grew up in Chicago have picked a side; some more staunchly than others. At times babies were simply born into a side…your family was for either the Cubs or Sox and so were you. That’s just the way it went.
Although the Sox have the overwhelming winning record for the Crosstown Classic with a record of 10-4-5, the overall game record for the Classic is more evenly split with the Cubs winning 49 games and the Sox winning 55.
Adult day care centers provide a safe environment and planned programs that include a variety of health, social and support services in a protective setting during daytime hours. Depending on the needs of (probably) your parent or spouse and the needs of their caregiver (probably you) there are unlimited options that need to be considered and might be overwhelming.
can no longer structure his or her own daily activities;
Can you believe it was just one year ago, on St. Patrick’s Day 2015, when we had our first ribbon cutting after opening our doors on February 25? We have had many successes since then! We are excited to have our 1st Anniversary Party and Business After Hours again on St. Patrick’s Day 2016 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm!
Our charter Member, Charlene, started with us the week after we opened. We love having her here; she continues to brighten our days with every visit!
We hosted a mini Walk for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society in June, and raised over $2,400 to fight cancer. We want to be sure our Members continue to exercise – and being able to do it for an important cause was a great motivator!
We provided fun activities for our Members including planting a garden (and then enjoying the fruits and vegetables of their labor), dressing up on Talk Like a Pirate Day, and having children come by before Halloween to get treats and play games with our Members.
We have hosted several Continuing Education (CEU) Workshops after hours for nurses, therapists and social workers. We are happy to provide this amazing venue for the community when they need to come together to gather and learn. Do you need a space to hold your workshop? Give Mike a call at 630-857-3017.
We hosted our 1st Annual Fall Craft and Vendor Fair in November. Thank you to all 23 vendors who joined us for a wonderful event. Our Members were even involved in making most of our crafts that were sold that day.
We hosted our own ‘Oscar’s Day Awards’ with our Members just before the Academy Awards! Our competition was fierce, but we outstanding performances!
There are more than 5,000 adult day centers across the country with more than 260,000 participants, according to the 
Make it fun. Give your parent a fun reason to go. Is there a fantastic arts program? Or another activity that your mother or father would really enjoy? “The first day, look for a hook,” Eskenazi recommends. “Is there a trip or an activity they would like? Make sure you plan for the first day so they’re engaged right from the start.”
Ask a professional to step in. If you and your parent just aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on attending a day center, you may wish to reach out to a third party for help. Your mother or father may go willingly if a doctor or a social worker offers the suggestion. At Alzheimer’s Community Care, which runs 10 dementia-specific adult day centers in South Florida, a family nurse consultant will often encourage a parent to attend a day center when an adult child is having no luck. Once through the door, he or she is often happy to be there. “We hear these stories all the time,” says Kathleen Herd, vice president of development for the organization. In one case, the family nurse consultant drove the mother right to the day center. “Her face lit up. Here was her peer group and she didn’t even know she was missing it,” says Mary Barnes, executive director of Alzheimer’s Community Care.
Start with a short schedule. Don’t ask a parent to stay too long at a day center on the first day. “Make it short. Make it easy. Don’t make someone stay the whole day,” Eskenazi says. Don’t overwhelm a parent by booking too many days early on. Keep the schedule as light as possible. “Start with maybe one or two days per week. I would recommend someone starting an adult day center with a shorter schedule and then working up to more days and more hours over time,” Eskenazi says. Be supportive. If a day center is a positive experience for a parent, be upbeat and positive and encourage him or her to attend. “Let them decide if they want more days,” Eskenazi says.
“It often takes several visits to an adult day center for a new person to feel comfortable in a new setting and new routine,” Barnes says. “The ideal situation [in their eyes] is for them to be with you, and you can’t do it 24/7. Ask the staff for help in making the transition from home to the day center.” A parent with a neurocognitive disorder may be insecure about new experiences. But if you are a strong proponent for the day center, a parent may feel more comfortable attending.