Making Better Use of Your Time as a Caregiver

Do you ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to take care of all your caregiver duties and everything else in your life? You’re not alone.

Elder Care in South Jordan UT: Caregiver Time

Many caregivers struggle to juggle all of the aspects of their life—work, children, a spouse, friends, and the needs of their aging relative. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to add more time to your day. However, you can make better use of your time as a caregiver, which can free up time for other parts of your life. Below are some time management tips that could help you do caregiver tasks more efficiently.

Schedule “Me Time” First

This might seem counterintuitive, but when you make time for yourself, it can help you to be more efficient as a caregiver, too. That’s because you’ll be able to keep up with your own health and emotional needs rather than becoming rundown so that you move more slowly.

Use Categories in Your To-Do List

If you’re starting out each day by writing a huge list of all the things you want to accomplish as a caregiver that day, stop! Looking at a long list and being unable to complete it is discouraging. Instead, divide your list into categories.

Make a category for the tasks that have to be finished that day, such as organizing medicines when the pillbox is empty. Make another category for tasks that should be done soon, like doing laundry before the senior runs out of clean socks. A third category might be stuff that would be nice to get done but isn’t urgent. Start each day by doing the stuff on the “have to” list. Once those things are completed, move on to the “soon” list and so on. That way, you’ll complete one list each day and have a better sense of accomplishment. This can help you to work through the tasks on the list more quickly.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

There seems to be an app for everything these days, and that includes apps created just for caregivers. There are apps that can remind you when it’s time for the senior to take medicine and apps for keeping track of appointments.

You can also use your smartphone to communicate with friends, family members, and other caregivers who are involved in the older adult’s life and care. The great thing about using your smartphone to do so is that you can use the time you spend sitting in waiting rooms or sitting on the older adult’s couch while they sleep to take care of tasks like scheduling appointments or providing others with updates about the senior’s health.

Are you or a loved one considering hiring Elder Care in South Jordan, UT? Please talk to the friendly staff at December Rose Senior Care at Home. Providing Home Care in Highland, Utah and Surrounding Communities. 801-427-ROSE (7673)

Sources
Aarp.org
Bankrate.com