Caregivers work tirelessly taking care of their loved one, many times putting their loved one in front o their own health and mental needs. Here are 15 things you can do for a family member that is a caregiver or a friend.
- Walk the family dog and/or take to veterinary appointments as needed
- Simply ask the Caregiver what you can do, if they say “I don’t know” give them a few days and ask again, even if it’s something small, to them it might be a big deal
- Give a gift certificate for a day at the spa or a pedicure and manicure – make sure you arrange care for the family member or make time to sit with them yourself
- Cook an extra main dish when you are making dinner for your own family
- Many family members are finding themselves taking care of older family members as well as their own children. Offer to take the kids for a night or a weekend or to a special event for a few hours
- If you are handy, offer to do a little maintenance chore around the home once a month or ask for a list to be made and sent to you
- Remind the caregiver that they can put your number on speed dial and use it…anytime day or night
- Gather a list of area caregiver support groups and pass them along to the caregiver…offer to stay with the care recipient if the support groups do not have an “adult day care” during the support group meetings
- Gather the laundry, start and finish the laundry, or just offer to fold the laundry once a week, or once a month
- Hire a housecleaning service and get the caregiver/care recipient out of the home for the day
- Establish a daily/weekly “phone ritual” with the caregiver as a safety check
- Allow/encourage the caregiver to rant…with no sugar coating allowed (just listen, no judgment, a safe ear for a caregiver can mean the world when everything piles up)
- Offer to take the family car in for routine maintenance
- Discuss with the caregiver if they would like for you to research and find out if there are any respite programs that the care recipient qualifies for or additional help around the house or modifications that can be made to make life easier
5 Bonus Ideas
- Make a restaurant reservation: 1) for the caregiver and care recipient, 2) for the caregiver and a friend, or 3) arrange to have a restaurant deliver a special meal to the home
- Take a moment and really observe the caregiver and come up with one simple thing that will make his/her life easier
- Clip coupons for the caregiver and care recipient of items they use often (or better yet, buy food staples and stock the family pantry/supply closet
- Arrange pizza delivery on special game nights for them to enjoy
- Offer to help decorate for the holidays with the care recipient, or take the care recipient out for the day/afternoon/evening so the caregiver can enjoy putting up the decorations without interruption and have a few hours to themselves
