Forget Losing 10 Pounds: Try These Meaningful Resolutions for Family Caregivers

New Year’s resolutions: we either love them or we love to hate them. We commit to living a healthier lifestyle – quitting smoking, eating healthier, exercising more – but then quickly become discouraged and give up (until next year, that is!). Yet there’s something so refreshing about starting off a brand new year with a clean slate. We have the opportunity to implement lessons learned from previous years to make this year the best it can be.

If you are a family caregiver, New Year’s resolutions can hold special meaning and significance. They can impact not only you, but the person you’re caring for as well. For that reason, it’s especially important to set realistic resolutions. For example, if you promise yourself you’ll start sleeping a full eight hours, uninterrupted, each and every night, but you’re providing care for a loved one with sundowning issues, the odds of actually achieving that goal are pretty slim.

There are plenty of attainable resolutions you can work towards, however. Consider the following if you’re unsure where to begin:

1. I resolve to accept help when it is offered, and to ask for it when I need support.
2. I resolve to say “no” if someone asks me to commit to something that is more than I am able to handle.
3. I resolve to prioritize my physical and emotional health by scheduling and keeping appointments for checkups and care.
4. I resolve to remind myself that taking care of myself is not selfish, but a necessary component in taking the best care possible of my loved one.
5. I resolve to pay attention to my tolerance and patience levels and to take steps to prevent exhaustion, caregiver burnout, or depression.

Brainstorm other ideas for healthy, achievable resolutions that will have a long-lasting effect on your own wellbeing as well as that of the senior in your care.

If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of setting and achieving any goals at all for yourself, no matter how small they may be, we’re here to help! Nightingale Homecare’s team of trained and experienced Phoenix caregivers provides seniors older adults with a wide range of customized home care and home health care services, allowing family caregivers to step away from care tasks and take care of themselves. This allows quality time for seniors with a friendly companion to engage in fun activities and conversations, along with support as needed with:

• Personal care, such as baths/showers, getting dressing, and more
• Household chores and laundry
• Shopping and other errands
• Planning and preparing healthy meals
• Transportation and accompaniment to medical appointments and enjoyable outings
• A full range of skilled nursing care services, such as:
  • IV therapy
  • Medication management
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Trach care
  • Blood draws
  • Wound care
  • Tube feedings
  • Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
• Specialized, comprehensive dementia care
• And much more

Serving the needs of families throughout the greater Phoenix area since 1994, Nightingale Homecare is here to make 2022 the best year possible for you and the older adults you love. Contact us any time at (602) 504-1555 to get started.

From all of us at Nightingale Homecare, we wish you the happiest of holidays and all the best in the year to come!