For many families, it is often the more convenient and economical choice to move aging family members into an aged care home. While some people might see it as ‘heartless’ to leave an elderly relative in aged care, it usually turns out for the better as the relative can get the care and support that they need from a team of trained caregivers, nurses, and health care professionals.
That being said, third-party aged care is not the solution for all households, and personal, financial, or other issues can rule out retirement homes as a viable option. For this reason, family caregiving is often seen as the next best thing. In this article, we will be going through the basics of family caregiving, the tasks and responsibilities of a family caregiver, and whether or not becoming a family caregiver is a good fit for you and your household.
What does a family caregiver do?
As the name implies, the job of a family caregiver is not that different from a caregiver who does it for a living – that is, to provide all of the care and support that your aging loved one needs. And if one is at all familiar with aged care, they would likely know that a caregiver’s tasks fit a particularly long laundry list. For the sake of brevity, we’ve condensed most of these tasks into three general categories.
Basic Needs
The first and most important task of any caregiver is to make sure that all of the needs of their patient are met. As a family caregiver, these needs include all of the typical chores around the house – cooking and preparing meals, maintenance and housekeeping, and keeping the house stocked with groceries, toiletries, and other home essentials. As their loved one gets weaker as time goes on, a family caregiver should also be there to assist them with the tasks that they would not be able to do anymore, such as bathing, going to the bathroom, and getting around within the house as well as going to important appointments.
Medical and Financial Assistance
Speaking of appointments, the next task of a family caregiver is to make sure that their loved one’s medical situation is kept up to date. This means taking their loved one to and from doctor’s appointments, keeping track of medical records, and making sure that their loved one is taking their prescribed medications on time. Because appointments and medications cost money, the family caregiver also has to provide the necessary financial support to keep their loved one in good health.
Companionship and Support
The third and arguably most important task of a family caregiver is simply being there for their loved one. Many seniors dislike the idea of moving into an aged care home like Homestyle Aged Care as this means that they will be separated from their own family, living in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. As a family caregiver, the love and companionship that you give to your loved one are often what they need to lift their spirits and improve their health.
Should I become a family caregiver?
As we’ve seen from these general tasks, the family caregiver has a lot of work on their hands – work that will eat into their personal time, work, finances, and relationships with other people. It is for this reason that deciding on whether or not a family should move their aging loved ones into an aged care home is such a difficult choice to make. While there are certainly many arguments for and against the latter, it is important to take a good, long look into your own situation as an individual and as a family.
Becoming a family caregiver will not be easy. Caring for a loved one day in and day out will wear down on you both physically and mentally – not to mention the time and effort that you have to spend to keep everything in order. With this in mind, we have two questions that may help you finalize your decision:
- Do you have access to a strong support system as you care for your loved one? As a family caregiver, you must always remember that supporting your loved one does not mean that you have to neglect your own health. If you want to become a family caregiver, make sure that you have access to friends and family who are always within reach to give you a hand when you need it.
- Do you have the finances to care for your loved one? As we’ve said earlier, doctor’s appointments and medical treatments can get very expensive very quickly, and the time that you have to commit to caring for your loved one will mean that you might not be able to continue working on your job. If your household’s finances are not stable enough for you to care for your loved one, the flat, recurring fees of an aged care home might be worth considering instead.
