Are you a family caregiver who is struggling to juggle all your responsibilities? These time-saving tips might be of interest.
Being a family caregiver for a senior loved one can be both rewarding and exhausting. It isn’t easy juggling the health and wellness of an older adult with all the responsibilities in your own life. And if you still have children of your own living at home or you work even part-time, the demands on your schedule can feel overwhelming. Sometimes, things might get so hectic that you don’t have time to sit down and figure out ways to improve the situation.
If this scenario describes your life, know that you aren’t alone. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, 34.2 million people in the United States have provided unpaid care to an older loved one over the last year. Women who are family caregivers average 21.9 hours of assistance per week, and men about 17.4 hours. That is a significant investment of time for family members.
Many people who are busy taking good care of a senior loved one may feel they have no choice but to put their own health and well-being low on the priority list. If that’s the situation you find yourself in, we have a few time-saving hacks to consider. They might help you find ways to make caregiving a little easier and less time-consuming.
Ways to Save Time When Caring for a Senior Loved One
Use healthy meal shortcuts
Most of us are aware of the important role diet plays in our overall wellness. When you are a busy caregiver, preparing healthy meals doesn’t always seem feasible. Grocery shopping alone can take a lot of time when you are trying to make fresh fruits and vegetables a core part of your menus.
One option to make meal preparation easier could be to have groceries delivered. In addition to the national services, more and more stores are offering their own home delivery. If your favorite grocer doesn’t offer it, check out any number of options that may be available in your area. You can order online and have fresh, healthy groceries delivered right to your front door, and it’s more cost effective than you might think!
Another idea is to take advantage of home-delivered meals. Some come fully prepared—you only have to reheat the entrée before serving. Others provide all the ingredients, often premeasured, chopped, and ready to cook. Either way, it makes meal time much more convenient.
Manage errands and transportation
For many caregivers, providing transportation for a senior loved one is a necessity. But it can also be a huge drain on your time. Waiting at appointments or in line at the pharmacy usually isn’t quick. And then there are other errands that need to be handled with or on behalf of an older family member who no longer drives.
Fortunately, there are a variety of solutions you might find helpful:
- Pharmacy services: Investigate which pharmacies deliver and utilize those. That can be a big time saver on its own!
- Virtual health care: Ask about virtual health care appointments. While this might not work for all types of physician visits, it does for many.
- Senior transportation companies: Visit the local agency on aging to inquire about transportation. Most offices maintain a list of senior-friendly options, sometimes including volunteers who enjoy helping older adults.
Organize health information
Caregivers are often overwhelmed by the volume of paperwork they encounter. Many spend considerable time shuffling through physician visit summaries, explanation of benefit forms from insurance companies, and pharmacy information. While it might seem tough to do, putting together a binder for all this information will save you time in the long run. Organize it into sections for each type of paperwork.
A variety of digital options can also make it easier for caregivers to automate tasks. CareZone, for example, allows you to log medications and set reminders for dosage times and refills. It also makes it convenient to track important information, like glucose and blood pressure.
If you haven’t already done so, sign up for an account with the health system your family member utilizes. That makes it much easier to access past visit summaries, upcoming appointments, and more.
Finally, there are support organizations such as Caregiver Way who are very helpful in guiding caregivers by providing education, trusted information, and helping caregivers make meaningful connections with others who understand.
Visit ASCCare.com to learn more.
