How to Adjust and Care for a Family Member After a Devastating Accident Occurs - s post

Accidents can occur no matter what kind of situation you are in. If a family member has been involved in an accident, this can impact your lifestyle. You’ll find you need to spend more time taking care of them, help them get to doctors’ appointments, and other issues that create a change in your schedule and plans. While this change is difficult to deal with, it’s important to remember that despite them being involved in an accident, they are still here with you. Keeping that positive attitude in mind, here are a few ways to adjust your lifestyle while making the most of your time together.

Create A New Routine

You will have to adjust your current routine to something that will work for you and the family member you are caring for. This may include taking them to the doctor’s office for a check-up, dealing with physical therapy, and even adjusting how you feed and care for them. Be ready to move furniture around, and change your schedule to something that does not stress you out, while still allowing them to have the care they need. While you may have enjoyed your old routine, it is best to have one that will serve both of you and make the best use of your time.

Make Time for Yourself

When you find yourself as a full time caregiver for a family member, it’s helpful to understand the emotions you are going through. Schedule time for yourself when your family member is away or asleep to do things for you.

This can range from:

·       Catching a power nap

·       Reading a book

·       Talking with a friend

·       Doing something relaxing such as a bath or exercise

Although your family member needs help after their accident, make sure you are recharging your batteries. This allows you to feel your best, and make the most of your time. You likely took time for yourself before your family member needed help, so make sure you continue to do so.  If you believe that you are having problems coping with this or feel a lot of guilt, speak to a doctor about possible alternatives, and what their suggestions would be for your situation. Sometimes speaking to a counselor and being able to unload the thoughts that prey upon your mind can be a relief.

Consider Having Respite Care

Respite care involves someone else coming over and giving you a break, while they take care of your family member. This could be someone else in your family network, a CAN who does home visits, or another qualified professional. Have them assist you in handling your family member so you can rest assured they are getting the care they need, even when you cannot physically provide it for them. Respite care is ideal when you are sick, overburdened, or feel yourself burning out. If you believe respite care is too costly or not the best option, then consider outsourcing other household tasks. This could range from grocery delivery, having someone come in to clean the house, or getting another family member to run out and pick up items you need from the store. Doing this keeps you from being pulled in too many directions, which is not healthy.

Decide If Further Medical Care Is Needed

If your family member was involved in an accident where care is beyond what you can offer, consider what other options there are. For example, if they injured themselves at work and it resulted in them suffering from a brain injury, find out what other options there are. If they had a successful lawsuit and were awarded money for their pain and suffering, you could look at fulltime in-home medical care. Or, take note of what nursing homes or other options are available for them, and consider using one of these options.  While this may not be your first choice, it is one that will allow you more time, with the comfort of knowing your family member is well cared for.

No matter what type of accident happened to your family member, your life is changed forever. Create a new routine that will benefit you both, but remember to make time for yourself so you can relax and not burn out. Consider respite care help. If that is not an option and the accident was devastating for your family member, see about having full time care. This will lighten your load and give you peace of mind they are taken care of properly.