Be a Caregiving Genius! Ten Easy Tips

Be a Genius - Listen to your loved one!

Want to be a caregiving genius?  Try these ten easy tips!

How do I know so much, besides the fact that I’m a geriatric care manager?  I like to listen to my clients, and yesterday one of them said to me (and I quote) “You are a genius!” 

Hey, cut my pay in half and sign me up for one hundred more years of caregiving – those words were music to my ears!  Little did I know that what it takes to be a genius is managing the velcro so the stick-on lights in the closet will stay stuck on!

If you want to be a caregiving genius, try these tips:

1. Listen
2. Shut up
3. Listen
4. Do what is important to your loved one, rather than what you think should be important to your loved one
5. Laugh at yourself
6. Make a list of the things you admire about your loved one, and mention one every time you talk with them
7. Ask for your loved one’s advice
8. Think about how you will feel the day you lose your loved one, and treasure the time you have now
9. Forgive your loved one, forgive yourself, repeat
10. Love — every way you can

Seriously, caregiving isn’t rocket science but it isn’t easy either.  Caregiving is about loving, so sometimes your heart breaks down and sometimes it breaks open.  The genius is in finding the joy when you can and when you can’t find the joy – finding some help!  If you need some help and you live in the Charlottesville, Virginia area, contact us and we’ll see what we can do to bring the joy back for both you and your loved one.

Elizabeth Swider
Geriatric Care Manager, Certified Senior Advisor
Care is There
434.326.5323 ext 2
elizabeth@careisthere.com
careisthere.com