Be a Great Family Caregiver: Avoid Falling Into These Bad Habits

For most family caregivers, home care is not something that lasts for a week or two. A family caregiver will likely provide daily in-home care for a family member or friend for months or years at a time. After a while it’s easy to think you have it all figured out and know what’s best for your patient; however, it can be even easier to fall into habits that lead to larger issues down the road.

We here at Best Home Care understand the stress that family caregivers are subjected to and how it can negatively affect their home care services. Even the most experienced personal care assistants can unknowingly fall into tendencies that may hurt themselves and those for whom they provide care. No matter how long you’ve been providing home health services, it’s a smart practice to review your work and note any room for improvement.

Take a moment to review these negative home care habits and how to avoid them:

• Improper or No Planning: Write down exactly what home care tasks are required each day.
• Procrastination: Take the initiative to finish little jobs like scheduling appointments or picking up medications.
• Poor Communication: Make a point to always talk with your patient to understand their feelings and needs.
• Bad Health: Take care of yourself first by eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep every night.

We here at Best Home Care believe that it doesn’t matter how long you’ve worked as a home caregiver, you should never quit learning and striving to be better. Here are some great caregiving resources to help you stay on top of your game:

• Caregiver Action Network
• National Alliance for Caregiving
• Best Home Care Blog
• AARP Caregiver Resource

For over ten years, Best Home Care has provided PCA services and resources to families throughout the Twin Cities. If you are hunting for PCA jobs, contact us to learn how to transfer to our home care agency and join a team of home care professionals dedicated to providing the highest quality home care.