The sun went down many hours ago. You might be curled up on the couch or a recliner, sipping a cup of tea or maybe a different late-night beverage, staring at a blank TV or out the window. Time seems to drag, especially at night. And especially when you can’t sleep very well.
These last weeks or maybe months you haven’t been sleeping all that well. You have been looking after your aging mother for a long time. In the beginning, it didn’t seem like that much work. She only needed a little assistance every so often, and you were more than happy to help. After all, you live in the same town and she had done so much for you throughout your life, how could you turn your back on her?
That’s not the real issue, though. The real issue right now is the impact being a family caregiver is having on your life. You might’ve heard about home care before, but thought that would come across as though you didn’t care enough to take care of her yourself.
Or you didn’t think she wanted it. Or perhaps you felt this was your responsibility, and you were more than happy to do whatever he could for her at this stage in her life. Now, though, these late evenings sitting alone, listening to the sounds of a sleeping house, the darkness invading every pore of your very soul has left you wondering how much more you can handle.
Often, the responsibilities of a family caregiver only increase.
Maybe your mother is recovering. Maybe the process is taking a lot longer than you hoped. Whether it was from heart attack, stroke, injuries, major surgery, or something else, when people reach a certain age, recovery can become more complicated and lengthy.
Or this may be a process of decline. Whatever the case may be, often what happens is when family begins helping out, that aging senior begins relying on the support for more and more things, even things they would normally be able to do.
You may have noticed that pattern yourself. You first stopped by every other day to check in on your mother. She was too bashful or withdrawn to ask directly for help, but you offered to cook a meal, get her something from the grocery store, or vacuum the living room.
After a while, she started counting on that assistance for more things, to the point where you had to stop by on your way to work in the morning and after work on your way home. In fact, you might not be getting home until nine or 10 o’clock at night, so you find yourself struggling to relax, unwind, and stop worrying about whether she is safe or how much more stress you can handle.
Now is the time to turn to home care.
There is only so much a person can take. If you are like the average family caregiver in the United States right now, you are most likely around your late 40s or early 50s, female, and stressing about everything you have to get done all the time (Forbes).
If you don’t stop and take care of yourself, if you don’t find a way to reduce the stress and anxiety and pressure in your own life, guess what? You may be dealing with your own health issues and require assistance as well.
It’s not selfish to need time for you. It’s not selfish to take care of yourself, too. And it is certainly not selfish to turn to an experienced, professional home care agency to support your mother at this stage in her life.
Be her adult child. Be her loved one. Focus on the relationship. Take care of yourself. You can still support her however she needs, but with home care, you’ll both have assistance that becomes crucial in time.
If you are considering home care in Katy, TX for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.
At Your Side Home Care, provides exceptional home care for seniors and families in Houston, West Houston, Katy, Memorial, The Heights, Spring Valley, Garden Oaks, Hunters Creek, River Oaks, Hilshire Village, Galleria, Cinco Ranch, Spring Branch, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenburg, Piney Point, Bay City and surrounding areas.
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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