When you ask for help you need to know where to go. This article describes both caregiving resources and general time saving resources.
There are an estimated 23 million caregivers in the United States, and most of them feel they are alone. Once you have decided to ask for help, you may wonder whom you can turn to with your request. Fortunately, there are many different kinds of help. For example, you can get help with your caregiving tasks, and you can also get help with your non-caregiving tasks, which consume a lot of your limited time and energy. The services and ideas outlined below are a starting point to getting the help you need and deserve.
Caregiving Services
Use community resources. There are many services available in the community to assist you in caring for a senior. Many of these resources are offered at a low cost, are covered by insurance, or are free. Only 20 percent of caregivers make use of community resources. At CaregiverZone we hope to change this through our comprehensive list of community resources. Take some time to go through the resource listings in our Resource Finder (under the Services tab) to locate important community services in your area. Here are some good places to start:
In the In Home Health Care and Support section you can find a home health aid or housekeeper to come in and assist with household and self-care tasks.
In the Nonprofit Information and Support Services section you can find local and national organizations that address the needs of families in specific situations. You might be amazed to find out how many organizations are devoted to helping people with your kind of challenges.
We are continuously adding more categories, and resources to CaregiverZone, so check our Web site daily. The service you need will probably be listed in our database.
General Time Saving Services
Use time saving services. There are a variety of service-oriented industries which will save you a great deal of time and energy. Much of our time is absorbed "taking care of business" and "running errands." Doing the laundry, cleaning, and shopping take up much of the limited time you have as a caregiver. Make a list, with the chores you like in one column, and the ones you dislike in another. Perhaps you enjoy cooking, but dislike cleaning. There is probably a service provider in your community who can do house cleaning for you (or any other chore). Examples of services that can free up some of your time include:
Grocery delivery services. Order via the Internet or telephone.
Shop online. Companies are opening up online stores in addition to their regular department stores. Purchasing products via the Internet will save you time, and possibly money.
Hire a housekeeper. Having someone come in even once a month can keep you from feeling overwhelmed.
Bring your laundry to a "fluff and fold." Many laundromats will do your laundry for a fee.
Hire a bookkeeper to pay your bills. This can be worth the fees, especially if it helps you avoid paying late charges.
Hire a gardener, or a neighborhood teenager to mow your lawn.
The list is as endless as the chores they fulfill. The service sector is one of the fastest growing industries in our fast-paced world. Chances are someone has a business designed to take care of most of your never ending "to do list!"
Getting Help for Free (or Inexpensively)
Although these services exist, you may not feel you can afford such convenience. Caregiving often stretches your finances as well as your time. Limited budgets are the reality for most people. Consider some alternative sources of help.
Look into hiring a teenager, retiree, homemaker, or a disabled person to assist you in tasks. Often these individuals may have more flexibility in terms of time, payment, and work schedule.
Barter tasks. This is an "old fashioned" but effective system. Everyone has special talents and interests. Go to neighbors and friends and offer to barter talents. For example, if you enjoy cooking you can look for someone who would appreciate a few prepared meals in exchange for eldercare or tending your garden.
Barter caregiving. A standby in childcare has always been, "Take care of mine, and I'll take care of yours!" Parents have always arranged with other parents to trade childcare. The same philosophy can work for caregivers. If anyone is going to understand what you are going through, it is another caregiver. Often, caring for someone else's loved one is easier because you don't have the same emotional involvement in the situation. Another benefit of this arrangement is that it gives the person you are caring for an opportunity to socialize and be stimulated. (See related article, The Science and Practice of Social and Productive Activities for Seniors)
Your place of worship or the social organization you are involved with can be an excellent source of helpers. Talk to other members or officials in these organizations. Tell them your situation and solicit their help. Even outside of organized programs you will find individual's who are willing to help. People are often looking for ways to be of service to others. Bulletins and newsletters are good places to advertise your need for help.
Family and close friends. This is a valuable resource for help. It is often, however, the most underused resource because it is the most difficult kind of help to ask for. Emotions often run high in families, making it difficult to ask for help from the people you love and need the most.
