You might not realize it, but there might be times as a caregiver that you’re doing just a little too much for your senior. It’s a delicate balancing act and you both might need to do some digging to find the right answer here.
What Does She Absolutely Need from You?
Do you and your senior both understand what she really needs from you? If not, it can be difficult for each of you to feel as if this is going the way that it should. Talk to your aging family member about what kinds of help really feel beneficial to her. You might be surprised at some of her answers. Some of the things you do that you might have thought of as essential help might be things she would rather handle herself.
Let Her Ask You For Help
One way you can get around some of these issues is that you can let your senior know that you’ll wait for her to expressly ask you for help. When you make that commitment, you do what you can in the environment for her but you don’t take over a task unless she lets you know she wants help. That allows her to make the choice and gives you a clear signal that you’re not likely to misinterpret.
Put the Focus on What She’s Able to Do on Her Own
There’s probably so much that your senior is still able to do on her own. If you’re both paying more attention to what she’s lost or to what she can’t do anymore, that’s going to be a pretty negative focus overall. When you shine a light on the tasks and activities that your senior can still do on her own, that gives your senior a big boost to her self-esteem.
Ultimately, You Want Her to Be Safe and Happy
What you really want, and why you are more likely to step in and handle so much for your senior, is for her to be happy and as safe as possible. But that happiness and well-being means looking out for her emotionally, too. So let her know that you still have confidence in her ability to do some things and that you support her in doing so. That’s going to do a lot for both of you.
There’s a definite balance between helping your senior just enough and helping too much. Working with home care providers can help you to get clearer on those boundaries.
