How Do You Take Care of You and Other People at the Same Time?
When you’re caring for other people on a regular basis, you have to prioritize your care as well. Not doing that puts you in danger of overloading yourself and possibly burning out.
Examine What You’re Doing
Elderly Cotati CA – How Do You Take Care of You and Other People at the Same Time?
To some extent or other you do have a self-care plan in place. What you need to do is to look closer at it. What’s working? What isn’t working? What do you want to change? Getting a handle on those things is going to help you to know what to tweak and what to add. You may not even be sure what you should make sure you include in your self-care plan, and that’s okay, too. Some caregivers find that it helps to think of themselves as someone else, so that they can think about what would help that person.
Look for Ways to Eat Healthy Foods
When you’re eating healthier foods, you’re giving your body plenty of fuel that it can use to keep your body and your brain running at peak efficiency. This doesn’t mean that you should go revamp your entire diet right this second. Big changes are often much more difficult than smaller changes are. Look for a way to include one or two healthier foods in your diet on a weekly basis. Gradually cull out the foods that are not feeding you as well as they could be.
Make Movement a Bigger Part of Your Day
Moving more is a big deal in every good self-care plan. As a caregiver, you need to stay as healthy as possible and that means moving your muscles in addition to all the other stuff you’re doing. Moving regularly has other effects, too. It can help you with sleep issues, with mood regulation, and with stress as well. These are all really good reasons for you to make exercise a priority for yourself.
Give Yourself Space and Time
You also need to have both time and space just for yourself. You’re taking care of someone that you love, but that doesn’t mean that you have abandoned everything else to do that. You need to be able to have time to decompress and to do things just for you. That might mean that you’re leaving your senior with elderly care providers more often and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You need to be able to take a breath and refresh yourself so that you can come back to caregiving with a clear head and heart.
Self-care isn’t always easy to think about or to keep up with on a regular basis. As a caregiver, though, you need to make caring for yourself a priority.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Elderly Care Services in Cotati CA, call At Your Service Home Care. Call today! (707) 573-1003
She became a discharge planner and immediately fell in love with the concept of home care and the autonomous clinical practice it affords nurses. Dr. Lucy was hooked and has been a strong supporter of home care ever since.Believing people need advocates in healthcare systems, she has championed that cause across the acute care and post-acute care setting.
Dr. Lucy has worked in every aspect of home care from Medicare Certified, DME, Infusion, Hospice and finally Private Duty/Private Pay services. She also works as a home care consultant across the country and as a legal nurse consultant for the home care industry.
Having worked in all areas of home care, Dr. Lucy has a well-rounded perspective of the challenges facing patients, families and the home care industry, and as a provider she advocates for patients through the maze of health care services. Dr. Lucy celebrated over 37 years as a nurse and patient advocate.
Dr. Lucy has a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing from Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois.In 1994, she received her Masters of Science in Health Service Administration from St. Mary's University, Moraga, California. Dr. Lucy received her Doctor of Nursing Practice awarded in 2016, graduating with Distinction and a 4.0 GPA.
She did her doctoral work on the global dementia crisis, aging and prevention strategies for healthy living. Developed dementia and Alzheimer's disease plans for aging patients leaving the hospital setting or entering long-term care or home health and hospice environments. She also developed a specialized program for those at risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
In 1992, Dr. Lucy was designated CAHSAH Certified Home Care Administrator in the inaugural offering of this designation through the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH).
She is the founder and CEO of Creative Solutions Home Care Consulting Services and At Your Service Nursing & Home Care, a concierge nursing & home care agency that provides the services she believes are essential for seniors to age in place.She offers a higher level of care allowing people to be in their own homes with an emphasis on independence, safety, and quality of life.
Dr. Lucy is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) and sits on the Board of Directors for California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH).
She has served on the boards for both state and national board associations, and is currently on the following boards and committees: Board of Directors, California State Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH), 2002-present, National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC's) Private Duty Home Care Association Director, and multiple state and national home care committees.
Dr. Lucy goes to Washington, DC, several times a year to advocate for senior services and home care issues. She was past Commissioner for the Sonoma Commission on Human Rights.She is past chair of the local Senior Advocacy Services.
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