When you’re sandwiched between two generations to care for on top of a career, you may find yourself easily overwhelmed. Parenting, caring for grandparents, managing the household, and even going to work can add a lengthy and stressful list of tasks to accomplish on a daily basis. It may even feel like you need to be in ten places at once on any given day. There are solutions available to help lighten your load and manage tasks more easily. If you’re bogged down by tasks and not sure how to find a balance, you should know what resources are available to you.
Know Who Can Help You
You don’t need to take on every responsibility yourself. Many people are willing to help you, even if you’re a single parent or the only adult in your home. If you have a partner or spouse, divvy up the tasks to lighten your load. If your kids are old enough, they may be able to help with some chores. Consider hiring or exchanging favors with neighbors, coworkers, or community members whenever possible. Knowing who is available and willing to lend a hand can make a major difference in your responsibilities.
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- How Overnight Senior Care Support Enhances Quality of Life
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Create a Shared Care Plan
Many tasks can be shared between you and your household or community. Once you know who can regularly lend a hand, include them in a care plan that spreads senior care or babysitting tasks between multiple household members or neighbors. You may have a lighter workload on Tuesdays, so you can take care of your older loved one that day. A shared plan for household care can lead to a more equitable division of labor.
Set Realistic Expectations
You can’t do everything in one night. Doing it all yourself can add a significant amount of stress to your plate, which can negatively impact your mental health, physical well-being, and productivity levels. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. You’ll want to be realistic about what you can get done in one day or week. Take breaks whenever possible; you aren’t superhuman. Schedule tasks according to their necessity. Ask for a lighter workload while you care for your family.
Involve Your Kids When Possible
Your kids can play a valuable role in taking care of the home while you work if they are old enough. Allowing them to wash dishes or do laundry can give you time to rest or attend to other tasks. As a bonus, you can teach your kids the value of hard work and how to manage their household in the future.
Set Time for Yourself
You may feel like there’s no time for yourself when you’re juggling so many roles and responsibilities. You’ll need to make time for self-care in your schedule. While your kids nap or play video games, take a bubble bath. After you’ve fed your older loved one and your kids at the end of the workday, cozy up with a book you enjoy. Find ways to incorporate rest, hobbies, and self-care into your routine to lighten the impact of stress on your life. If you neglect yourself, you won’t be as productive in your career or caregiving.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
Technology can help you immensely when it comes to juggling work, parenting, and caregiving. To-do lists or productivity apps can help you stay on track with daily responsibilities or schedule tasks according to time of day or day of the week. Certain apps, such as Care or Urban Sitter, can make it easy to find qualified babysitters or caregivers in a pinch. There are even apps, such as Rover, for pet sitting if needed. Remote work technology, such as Zoom or ClickUp, can help you stay on top of projects even on days when you need to parent or care for your family from home. Smart home technology can help you automate the household from anywhere with the touch of a button, saving you time and allowing you to make the home safer and more comfortable for the occupants under your care.
Understand Senior Care Options
When your responsibilities become too overwhelming, or your older loved one needs more care than you have the expertise to provide, you may need to hire help. You can allow an in-home nurse or caregiver to assist you with additional tasks or take on the entire workload. You can also decide, as a family, to let your older loved one move into a senior care community where they can receive round-the-clock care and comfort in a controlled, safe, and home-like environment. While allowing external assistance is often a challenging, emotional, and costly decision, it can often be best for the safety of loved ones and their family members.
The Importance of Choosing Caregivers Carefully
While in-home aides or senior communities can be an excellent option for seniors and their family members in many circumstances, it’s incredibly important that you perform due diligence before hiring any help. Bad actors can take advantage of your needs and bring harm to you or your loved one through neglect or abuse. Ensure you select a top-rated, high-quality aide or community with a proven track record of satisfied patients. You don’t want to be at the end of an abuse or wrongful death case. Wrongful death in nursing home neglect cases can happen more often than many realize due to insufficient staffing or lapses in security measures. Tour communities yourself and get to know the staff there. Check in with your loved one often, regardless of the caregivers you choose, to ensure they are safe and well cared for.
Conclusion
When you need to care for an aging loved one and parent your kids at the same time, you can quickly become weighed down by your responsibilities. Know who can help you and when, so you can lighten your load; your kids can even become valuable helpers from time to time. You can use technology to find apps for dog sitters, babysitters, and caregivers when you need a break. Scheduling self-care and break times into your routine can help you recharge and accomplish more tasks. Be realistic about your expectations and daily limits; recognize when you may need to consider a permanent caregiver to assist. A brief reassessment of your daily schedule and lifestyle can make a world of difference in your stress levels and workload .
