I can make plumbing repairs, patch a roof, finish sheet rock, install an electrical breaker, and more. I learned all that while "just a housewife." I like the independence of doing it myself.
But I would not want to re-roof my entire house, or try to nail a full-size piece of sheetrock on my own. Some jobs are just too big, and I would never get them done properly alone. I also would not be able to do my usual work, which can not go undone.
For those big jobs I need a professional.
When a person first begins to need home care, family and friends can pitch in to help. A little time here and there is no big deal. But when the duties require more skill and more time with no end in sight, it is time to call in the pro's.
That is where we come in.
We have the skills and the quantity of people needed to provide much of the extra care. As a family member who cared for a terminally ill relative, I know just how badly that extra help is needed. It is not good for the family caregiver to go it alone. One can keep both one's sanity and one's health, if one has some help.
Is your ill relative reluctant to allow anyone to provide his personal care? If you do not mind providing the personal care, you can hire someone else to do the cooking and housekeeping for you.
But is your relative demanding that no one be allowed in the home? I am sorry, but you need to put your foot down. Be blunt. Make it clear that your health is failing as a result of having no time to take care of yourself. Point out that if you have to go into the hospital, your relative will have to accept another caregiver or enter a nursing home. Lay it on the line, give him or her a short time to mull this over, but make it clear that you are getting extra help.
Refuse to be a doormat. No one else will take care of you if you do not take care of yourself.
But I would not want to re-roof my entire house, or try to nail a full-size piece of sheetrock on my own. Some jobs are just too big, and I would never get them done properly alone. I also would not be able to do my usual work, which can not go undone.
For those big jobs I need a professional.
When a person first begins to need home care, family and friends can pitch in to help. A little time here and there is no big deal. But when the duties require more skill and more time with no end in sight, it is time to call in the pro's.
That is where we come in.
We have the skills and the quantity of people needed to provide much of the extra care. As a family member who cared for a terminally ill relative, I know just how badly that extra help is needed. It is not good for the family caregiver to go it alone. One can keep both one's sanity and one's health, if one has some help.
Is your ill relative reluctant to allow anyone to provide his personal care? If you do not mind providing the personal care, you can hire someone else to do the cooking and housekeeping for you.
But is your relative demanding that no one be allowed in the home? I am sorry, but you need to put your foot down. Be blunt. Make it clear that your health is failing as a result of having no time to take care of yourself. Point out that if you have to go into the hospital, your relative will have to accept another caregiver or enter a nursing home. Lay it on the line, give him or her a short time to mull this over, but make it clear that you are getting extra help.
Refuse to be a doormat. No one else will take care of you if you do not take care of yourself.
I agree with you that all things cannot be done at the same time when you have to take are of your family that includes the elder person who cannot move even a single step until someone else help out. A professional that has extensive knowledge about the caring of the elderly person is a better choice.
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