In Australia, over 2.65 million people provide care to family members to support their daily living[1]. However, taking on this extra responsibility, on top of other work and other caring responsibilities, can be difficult to juggle. Not getting a balance between work and caregiving can lead to burnout and your own health issues. Maintaining balance with caring responsibilities, work and other parts of life is essential – particularly in a situation where the caring responsibilities are ongoing, and the situation needs to be sustainable. There are things you can do to help balance work and caregiving responsibilities so that you are also looking after yourself. At Home Care Assistance, our care professionals understand the challenges faced in juggling care and other responsibilities, so we have put together some tips to help you when you are providing home care for a loved one.
- Work Out What Actually Needs to be Done
Often there are things that we think we need to do but can really wait. When planning your time, consider the consequences of not doing each activity. If the consequences are insignificant, consider not doing that activity, postponing it, or doing it less regularly.
- Take Time Out For Yourself
One of the first things people tend to sacrifice when they are busy is their self-care. However, it is an important part to staying healthy and being able to care for others. When planning your time, make sure you allocate some time for self-care. It doesn’t have to be a long activity – it might simply be going for a quick walk around the block, reading a chapter of a book, or doing something else. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is something you enjoy.
- See What Flexibility Your Work Can Offer You
Often when we take on new responsibilities, we need to shift things around. It is always a good idea to have a chat to work to see what flexibility they can offer you. It could be reducing your workhours, taking some leave, working different hours, or even working from home. Workplaces are often willing to accommodate your needs if they know about them – so have a chat and see what they say.
- Spread the Load
Everyone doing some extra work can reduce the stress on a single person. This might mean splitting up the caring responsibilities, or having family members take care of other things for in your own household like cleaning the house, preparing a meal, or picking the kids up from school. Spreading the extra workload around in whatever way works for your family can make a big difference.
- Ask for Help
Sometimes, no matter how much we try to juggle work and caring responsibilities, a break or some extra help are the only solutions. Asking for help to get the right assistance can be crucial and there are options available. For example, our Care Professionals at Home Care Assistance can provide respite or ongoing home care. It can be worth looking into community care services that might be able to provide support for gardening, or cooking or cleaning. Your loved one may also be eligible for an aged care package that can fund services for people aging at home. Having the right supports in place can lighten the load considerably so investigate what your options are so ask for help if you need it.
Support of a home care agency like Home Care Assistance, can bring enormous benefit and comfort to your quality of life while living independently at home. Home Care Assistance has viable solutions when it comes to supporting independent living. For more information, get in touch with a Home Care Assistance near me today.
