Four Ways to Make the Later Days of Caregiving Easier
So much is changing as your senior nears the end of her life. There are plenty of emotions and still a lot that needs to be done. It helps to find ways to make this time easier on yourself and on the other people in your life.
Let Go of the Need to Rush
There can often be an urge or a need to pack as much into the last days of your senior’s life as possible. There’s so much that might still need to be done or said. But it’s not possible to fit all of that into whatever time is left. If you give yourself permission to let go of that need to hurry and to fit it all in, you might just get to more on your list.
Stay Occupied
If you’re not keeping yourself occupied, your brain can occupy itself with some pretty fantastical worries. It might help if you spend some time and energy focusing on practical tasks that need to be handled. Or you might find that doing something with your senior in which you’re the active party helps. That might mean reading to her or just sitting beside her and talking with her, even if she’s unable to respond.
Don’t Overpack Your Day
The downside to keeping yourself busy, though, is that you might find you’re burning energy that you really need. It helps to check in with yourself periodically and determine whether there are tasks you can hand over to someone else. Tasks that are difficult for you or that involve health procedures might be ones that you allow hospice elder care providers to take over so that you can focus on being there for your senior.
Talk to Other People Involved
You’re probably not going through this alone. Others are sharing in your anticipatory grief and may not be handling it well. Family members, friends, and others who love your senior may need to reach out to you to get support. It can help for all of you to share how you’re feeling so that you can work through it together.
There’s a lot going on in these last days of your caregiving experience. Your senior’s situation may be changing rapidly and you might feel as if you should be doing more or doing different things. Let yourself have what you need so that you can be there for those that you love.
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