The Evolving Role of a Carer

There are a lot of medical conditions in the world which require us to take on the role of carer for someone we know and love. To see them deal with a situation can be heartbreaking, but we can do so much just by being there for them when they need a familiar face to help them out.

Parkinson’s is one of the most challenging conditions to try and come to terms with, and as someone who has to care for a family member or a friend, or even in a professional capacity, there are things you need to try and keep in mind to give the best possible level of care. We’re going to be looking into a few of them here and now to make sure that your experience is the best it can be.

When you care for someone else, what many people do not know is that you’re dealing with a role which can be ever changing. As the condition evolves and sadly consumes the person, even more, carers can find themselves going from initially just helping out with medication to washing, cleaning and helping to look after that person uniquely. You have to be prepared to get involved with a lot of different tasks, and this can scare people, which is why they often find that their health can decline and thus they need to keep a few things in mind.

How to Look After Yourself

Looking after someone with Parkinson’s a very remarkable and selfless thing to do, and we applaud anyone who agrees to do it, but you can’t help someone at the detriment of your health, so we’re just going to look at a couple of essential points.

Dealing with stress

You’ll find that you can become stressed very quickly, which is why you need to make sure that you are managing your life as well as you can. Try and identify situations which can cause you adverse effects, and then try to work around them and introduce help where you need to.

Keeping high energy levels with a balanced Diet

Your diet should also be balanced and healthy, and try to include time to exercise too! When looking after someone, it can be easy to get caught up in the task and neglect ourselves, which is never a good idea. You need to make sure that you’re taking the time to focus on your needs as well as that of the other person.

You deserve a Break too

Sometimes, even when you want to help, you need to take time out. Both you and the person you’re caring for can wind up developing negative feelings if you’re not careful, so try and make sure that you look after yourself and them by taking time away.

Finally ..

All in all, these are just some of the things to think about when you’re trying to help someone who is struggling with Parkinson’s. It’s never easy, and we do sympathise. Please remember that you’re important too! Always take time to focus on your needs, because you can quickly become disillusioned with what you’re doing and it is an incredible thing.

It’s important to take a person centred approach to caring for a person with Parkinson’s. This means focusing on someone’s needs as an individual and the fact that their life is not defined by the condition.  If you’re busy caring for someone, it may be difficult to look after your own physical and mental health. But recognising your own needs will help you balance caring with the rest of your life.

We are more than happy to visit you and your family at home to discuss your situation and consider the options available to you. Our specialist and compassionate Parkinson’s care at home focuses on encouraging a positive mind set, adhering to established routines, and staying active.