Your human relationship with family members can sometimes be as significant as those with patients. Technically, a home care visit is meant to give care for the sick person, in reality, you usually will be functioning with the person’s family members as well.
Family members usually do help care for their ill loved ones and they may spend lots of time and energy doing it. In fact, family members may be under great stress and tension from trying to accomplish their own usual roles while also caring for a sick person. A caregiver who doesn’t have help can easily burn out.
Often the job of giving care for a sick person falls mainly on a female family member such as the wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, or sister of the patient. This person may have to shop, cook, run errands, do laundry, and even hold a job while also trying to care for the patient when you aren’t there. If the patient has a long-term illness, this caregiver could be facing years of hard work.
That’s why it is very important for every family member to support primary caregivers. You can do this in many ways. For one, you can urge the caregiver to talk about how she’s holding up. Ask her to talk about herself and how she’s feeling. Use empathic instead of sympathetic techniques when working with the patient and caregivers.
Ask the caregiver if she or he knows someone who can help her get through the hardships of caregiving. Does she have a friend or someone from church who could watch the kids, help with laundry, or sit with the patient while she or he rests or does something fun?
As much as possible, help the caregiver learn safe and quick ways to care for the patient by attending forums and seminars – even local group sessions with professional caregivers, if you have one in your area. Make sure she uses safe body positions to avoid getting hurt. Praise her and help her hone her abilities as she cares for the patient.
Urge her to take care of herself. That means eating right, exercising, and trying to relax whenever possible. Local services may be available to help her, such as support groups, respite care, Meals On Wheels, and groups for people with specific illnesses, such as diabetes or cancer.
It is important to note if you think the patient’s main caregiver is getting exhausted, angry, or resentful. Be on the lookout for sadness, depression, and any mention of suicide or “giving up.” Use her exact accurate words or your observations rather than contributing your opinion when reporting incidents of such to patient’s doctor or health care provider. Use the services of a medical social worker to help caregivers with emotional and financial needs whenever possible.
