How To Help Home Bound Friends And Relatives

Introduction

When a friend or loved one is ill, it takes its toll on not only the patient, but on the family and well- wishers as well. But this intensifies when the patient is forced to remain at home due to the illness, and is left dependent on the help of others. This can cause depression and upsetting situations for both the patient and care giver. Below are some steps we believe will help all those caregivers who have homebound friends or relatives whom they wish to be taken care of in their own homes instead of allowing strangers to assist.

Step 1

Do you know what you’re doing? Before you set out to help your loved one, be sure that you know how. Get the details, the facts down. What is his/her illness? How much help does he/she need? What are the Doctor’s orders? Can he/she move around his/her home? Can you provide that help? Are you qualified/stable enough? What other commitments do you have? Yes, you do need to think about yourself as well. You are of no use to your patient if you’re reeling from a night shift taking care of them followed by a day at the office. And even if you have the luxury of being able of bringing your work home- just how much would that help?

Step 2

One thing that has to be cleared, first and foremost, is that at some point, you will need help when taking care of your home bound friend or relative. Unless you have previous experience or professional training, we would recommend hiring some additional help to help you around your home. There are several reasons for this, the most obvious being that you can’t –and shouldn’t- handle everything alone. Not only will it be extremely difficult to juggle your life and the needs of the patient. Secondly, it’s not healthy- for you, or the patient. Talk to the patient about this.

Step 3

If you feel that you can handle most of the patient’s needs and you/the patient doesn’t want a nurse, at least consider hiring a housekeeper for help. Not only will it ease the stress and burden, knowing that someone is at home taking care of things till you get back from work/school will give a sense of relief. Or at least get another relative/friend involved and visit their home every once in a while to share the burden.

Step 4

If you do end up deciding to get a professional full time care giver, be sure to carry out a thorough back ground search. References, letters of recommendation, sources, previous employers, the agency’s credentials and credibility- everything needs to be checked in order to ensure that your loved one is receiving the best possible help at home.

Step 5

The second thing you need to take care of is transportation. This is important so both you and the person your caring for can maintain your social life and the patient gets a feeling of independence. This will inspire and encourage your loved one and will stop them from feeling like a burden. It will also encourage them to step out of their homes. If you are very concerned, you could ask the patient to inform a relative or neighbor that they are going out. This would help because if you are not present, at least someone will know where he/she has gone in case of emergency. There are plenty of local bus services that you could make use of- again, you will need to check them up.

Tips

Are you getting angry, frustrated, upset or irritated? Don’t feel guilty, of course you are. One way to eliminate any chance of such resentments and problems later on is to take a step in the start. No matter what your decision or reasons, you need to remember that the person who you’re trying to help has a say in this too. Their lives are being affected as well. So before you make any decision, or bring any change in to their home, be sure to take them into confidence. Believe us when we say that in the long run, this may be what helps the most when taking care of your relatives at home.

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