If you have a loved one who is living with chronic illness or is just getting frail with age, they may require general support and caregiving. Some people deliver general health care, meal prep, and transportation to their aging loved ones whilst there may be others who prefer to delegate the duties to a professional caregiver. To learn more about the different caregiver roles, continue reading the article below.
What Is a Caregiver?
A caregiver is a person who takes care of the health and overall wellbeing of an individual who needs help with their activities of daily living. This can be due to the person struggling with mobility, injury, illness, or surgery. As a result of these reasons, handling daily tasks can become daunting and overwhelming. People often have the perception that caregiving only focuses on providing health care but it can actually go beyond just that. Depending on the needs of the person, caregiver roles can change accordingly.
Caregiver Roles
Caregiver roles can range from cleaning the house, shopping for groceries, preparing meals, assisting with personal grooming, administering medication, and more. Caregivers can be a spouse, child, relative, friend, or a professional. Since the needs of a person in need can change over time, caregiver roles can also change. Below are some tasks that are commonly included in caregiver roles:
- Meal preparation
- Companionship
- Light housekeeping
- Personal care
- General health care
- Transportation
- Mobility support
- Emotional support
- Reporting and monitoring
- Financial accountability
Meal Preparation
As we age, our body becomes frail. This may cause us to lose the strength and energy that we used to have. Preparing our meals on a daily basis can become tedious and tiring because of this. With meal preparation support, we can have access to nutritious meals that help keep our bodies strong and prevent us from developing medical ailments.
Companionship
Companionship is often overlooked but it is very crucial to support our mental wellbeing. Knowing someone is around providing us with the support and care we need can help stabilize our emotions and prevent us from developing feelings of loneliness or isolation that may lead to depression.
Light Housekeeping
Living in a clean environment is healthy and can enhance our quality of life. Without enough strength and energy to maintain our own home as we age can inflict detrimental effects on our health. With support, we can look forward to retiring in a safe and conducive place.
Personal Care
Personal care assistance is important for those with mobility restrictions. They may find it difficult to groom, feed, and clothe themselves and also to move around safely. With assistance, they can get on with their lives with ease and in comfort.
General Health Care
For individuals with medical concerns, they need to take their medications right on schedule and in the right dosage. With the assistance with general health care, they will receive medication management support that ensures they will not be overdosed or underdosed. They can also get help with the restocking of their monthly prescriptions to maintain their health.
