With a mother who is getting up in years (she is soon to be 86) this is something that is on my mind a lot.! Making sure she is taken care of and that those caring for her are doing well too is very important to me, especially since I live over 500 miles away from her!
Here is some information that may help you as much as it has helped me!
Taking care of a loved one starts with taking care of yourself.
More than 65 million Americans are currently providing care for a loved one. ¹ But, sometimes caregivers neglect an important step: taking care of themselves.
Protecting the caregiver's own well being, both mentally and physically, is an incredibly important step in the caring process. So in honor of National Family Caregivers and National Hospice Month, UnitedHealthcare has some steps to help make the transition to caregiver.
Get out and enjoy time together:
Go for a walk. Go to a movie. Feed the ducks at a park. Keeping active may relieve stress and can create positive new memories.
Eat Healthy:
A healthy diet can keep you sharp. Stock up on healthy snacks and prepare your own meals. Here are some simple (and delicious) recipes for you and your loved one.
- Chicken Minestrone Soup
- Slow Cooker Hearty Pork Stew
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie
- Pumpkin Smoothies
- Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Educate yourself and your family:
Particularly for those dealing with advanced illness or end-of-life situations, it's important to prepare yourself and your children. A new activity book, Scarlet Says Goodbye, is one tool to help educate young children with a loved one entering hospice care. The book can be downloaded for free at: www.ScarletSaysGoodBye.com.
Don't be afraid to ask for help:
UnitedHealthcare understands that being a caregiver can be an emotionally and financially exhausting experience. UnitedHealthcare designed Solutions for Caregivers* specifically to help alleviate both of these issues. Visit www.WhatIsSolutionsForCaregivers.com to learn about all the resources available, including other great recipes and aid in developing a care plan, built specifically for your situation.
*Disclaimer Solutions for Caregivers assists in coordinating community and in-home resources. The final decision about your care arrangements must be made by you. In addition, the quality of a particular provider must be solely determined and monitored by you. Information provided to you about a particular provider does not imply and is in no way an endorsement of that particular provider by Solutions for Caregivers. The information on and the selection of a particular provider has been supplied by the provider and is subject to change without written consent of Solutions for Caregivers.
I received this information through MyBlogSpark and from General Mills through MyInsite.
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