If you are a caregiver, you may help your loved one with a variety of tasks, including helping with grocery shopping and cleaning, managing prescriptions and medical appointments, assisting with mobility and transportation, running errands, performing activities of daily living (such as personal hygiene and eating), and providing emotional support.
All caregivers at any phase in the caregiving journey are a vital support to their loved one.
Here are 10 tips for living well as a caregiver.
1. Take care of yourself
Exercising regularly, getting a good night’s sleep, and eating properly will boost your mood and give you more energy to help your loved one. Monitor your mental health. Keep up with your own appointments and medication. Speak up if you feel you need a break or that your own health is worsening. Protect some of your time (even if it is short) to explore a passion or engage in activities that bring you joy. Doing what you love will give you some respite and allow you to recharge.
2. Keep organized and informed
Write down your questions or concerns before meetings with healthcare providers. Take notes during appointments. Educate yourself about your loved one’s condition. Keep your loved one’s medical information organized and stored in a consistent, secure, and easily accessible place.
3. Seek and accept outside help
You are not alone. There are resources in the community designed to support caregivers. If you do not feel comfortable accessing these resources yourself, ask a healthcare provider to connect you. Give yourself permission to ask and accept offers of help from friends and family.
4. Connect with others
Staying socially and emotionally connected with others will help to reduce stress. Supportive others can offer advice, encouragement, or answer your questions. Consider connecting with another caregiver who understands what you are going through. Be sure to spend time with the person you care for in a personal way, not just in a way that is related to caregiver tasks.
5. Communicate clearly
Patients and caregivers that are communicative, accessible, and responsive to each other are better able to adapt to the upheavals and uncertainties of heart disease. Be clear when communicating your needs and feelings
6. Be open to change
Tackling lifestyle changes together can improve your health and strengthen your relationship. Communicate with your loved one about changing family dynamics. Collectively decide on new household roles and responsibilities.
7. Give control back
Letting your loved one take back some of the activities of daily life is an important part of the recovery process. This can offer your loved one a greater sense of control and lessen the burden on you.
8. Talk about and plan for the future
When managing heart disease, understanding what is coming next can help you to prepare now and reduce stress later. Speaking about the future beyond your loved one’s health condition or your role as a caregiver is also important. Set personal goals. Establish family priorities. Make plans to engage in meaningful activities.
9. Recognize your strengths
Caregiving can be a rewarding and positive experience. Recognize your limitations but be sure to acknowledge your strengths and capabilities. Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself credit for doing the best job that you can.
10. Acknowledge the rollercoaster of caregiving
There are many twists and turns in the caregiving journey. Recognizing caregiving will be full of ups and downs will help you to anticipate and prepare for bumps in the road, appreciate the highs, and identify the lows.
A team of specialists at the Heart Institute has put together Living Well as a Caregiver, a guide designed to support caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease.
This guide presents tips for providing high-quality care for a loved one, and tools for taking care of yourself. It contains several resources to inform your specific self-care needs, including information about physical activity, stress, and sleep, and resources specifically designed for caregivers.
Download Living Well as a Caregiver (PDF)