Healthy Habits: Tips for Busy Moms Who Are Also Caregivers

Did you know that of the 43+ million family caregivers in the U.S. approximately 75% of them are female? Most care recipients are aging parents, however, younger relatives and children with special needs also receive care beyond the call of mothering. Chances are good that you or another mom you know is also a family caregiver.

When it comes to balancing all your mom duties as well as caregiving tasks for a loved one, you may end up pulling your hair out. Caregiving tasks may range from transportation to appointments, paying bills, and refilling prescriptions, to more hands-on skilled care duties like helping your aging parent get dressed, bathe, or use the bathroom. Too often moms find themselves in this tug-of-war between all the things they want to do for their own kids and the obligations they feel they have to their senior mother or father.

While each caregiving situation is unique in its own way, there are some helpful tips that may provide an assist if you find yourself in the unique position of being a mom and a family caregiver.

Go Digital

Fortunately, in this modern age, there is a digital solution for practically everything - even caregiving duties. These online services and mobile applications may be just the time-saver you are looking for:

• Coordinate care with apps like CaringBridge which allows you to set up a personal site for your loved one to share updates and information with family and friends as well as recruit help. Free, online services like SignUpGenius and SignUp.com also allow you to create digital sign-up sheets (for meals, transportation, etc.) with email invitations and automated reminders.
  
• Stay on top of your loved one’s medicine schedules with apps like MediSafe, Pillboxies, CareZone, and Care4Today. These apps not only let you log your loved one’s medicine by name, dosage, frequency, and so on, but many also have reminders for when it is time to take medicine as well as refill alerts, emergency contact books, and more.
  
• Free, live video chat services like Skype and Google+ Hangout are relatively simple to use and allow you to connect with your loved one (and see them face to face) even when you are far away or can’t make it to their house.
  
• If you are looking for additional helping hands by way of hired private caregivers, search online via sites like Care.com and Carelinx.com to find vetted candidates. Caring.com shares a helpful guide for picking a private caregiver.

Educate Yourself

Want to avoid the anxiety associated with not knowing if you’re loved one needs a trip to the E.R. or if you can help them right at home? The best caregiving tool at your disposal is education!

• Learning how to check vitals yourself will come in handy more than you might think. Monitoring temperature with a thermometer if your loved one is feeling under the weather, and knowing how to check oxygen saturation levels, blood pressure, and respiration rate are all fairly easy to master. If your loved one is not feeling well, being able to confirm that all their vitals are good can provide you peace of mind and give you more information to share with their doctor.

• If your loved one has a chronic illness like diabetes, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s, make sure that you are fully versed on their disease including symptoms, progression, treatment, and best practices for managing at home. Equipping yourself with knowledge can help you handle situations where your loved one is disoriented, confused, or anxious, for example.

• Seniors especially are prone to dangerous conditions including dehydration, UTIs, and falling. Learning to recognize the signs of dehydration or infection can help you take action earlier and prevent life-threatening complications. And fall-proofing your home can protect your loved one against debilitating injuries.

Involve Your Kids

Some of the greatest lessons your kids will learn from you will be ones of empathy, kindness, and helping others. What better way to set the example than to involve your kids in the care of your loved one?

• Ask them to help you cook a meal for their grandparent or another relative you care for
• Bring them with you to visit your aging parent in their home, assisted living, or nursing facility
• If they are old/big enough, let them take Grandma or Grandpa (and push the wheelchair themselves if your parent uses one)
• Encourage them to make cards or art which can be put up in your loved one’s home or room

The ideas are endless!