Caregivers often look for signs and signals that something isn’t right with their senior’s health and well-being, but did you know that there are red flags you should look for in your own behaviors? When you are paying attention to what you are doing and not doing for yourself you can help yourself to be a much more effective caregiver. 

You’re Not Sleeping  

If you’re not getting enough sleep as a caregiver you’re going through your days feeling more and more exhausted every single day. Sleep is when your body repairs itself. When you don’t get the opportunity to repair what you damage every day, you end up running yourself down way farther than you can afford to. 

Your Eating Habits Are Off 

Along with sleep you need nutritious food to keep your body running at its peak. But as a caregiver, you’re more likely to be choosing foods that you don’t have to think about a lot. In fact, you might find yourself worrying a lot more about what your elderly family member eats than what you eat. That’s great for her, but your nutrition matters, too. 

You’re Not Paying Attention to Your Health 

Too many caregivers avoid dealing with their own health issues. Either you don’t have the energy to deal with them or you simply feel like you don’t have the time to do it. Unfortunately, health issues that you ignore don’t just go away. Most of the time they become much worse and turn into something that you can’t ignore at all. Why is that a problem? It usually happens when you can least afford for that to happen. 

You Refuse to Take Time for You 

Respite time allows you to just worry about you for a little while. You’re able to do what you want to do or what you have to do, without worrying about what’s going on with your elderly family member. If you’re not taking this time, you’re spending all of your time and energy focused solely on responsibilities. Without downtime, you’re just going to run yourself down. 

These red flags help you to remember that you’re more than just a caregiver. You’re a multidimensional person and you have got to take care of yourself at times. When you spot one of these flags waving, do something about it now instead of waiting for something else to happen. Odds are that if you wait, the results are going to be worse than you think. 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Oakland, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855

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andy@hcprosonline.com

CEO at HomeCare Professionals

Andy Howardis a Bay Area Native who holds a BA in Political Science (University of Colorado at Boulder, ’97). After college Andy worked in the surging tech industry.His Grandmother however, would suffer a significant decline in health and ultimately needed in-home care. The experience of a loved one depending on outside help to age in place proved to be pivotal for Andy as he left the tech industry in 2002 for an opportunity in the home care world with a large provider. After having success in home care, but being frustrated by corporate constraints Andy founded HomeCare Professionals in 2005.He methodically built the company one client at a time by focusing on hiring quality caregivers to ensure positive outcomes. Currently Andy serves as the CEO of HomeCare Professionals and is also highly active in the non-profit organization California Association of Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) which advocates for a higher standard of in-home care for those who wish to remain living at home in California.

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