The Guilt of Being a Long-Distance Caregiver and What to Do About It

By Care Street Home Care Staff | February 10, 2021 | Comments Off on The Guilt of Being a Long-Distance Caregiver and What to Do About It

When it comes to family caregiving, you may have a lot on your mind. One of the things that you might be thinking about is being a long-distance caregiver. Caregiving for an elderly loved one can be difficult enough. Trying to do it from far away can make you feel guilty. If this is how you are feeling, there are some ways that you can help yourself and your elderly loved one to feel better.

Daily Connections

If you are a long-distance family caregiver, making daily connections are so important. If you call, text message, email, or video call your elderly loved one every day, you will be able to check in on them and talk with them. These daily connections will allow you to see or hear how they are doing. If needed, you can even make daily connections with their senior care providers to get more in-depth information about how they are doing.

Visiting Often

You can feel better about being a long-distance caregiver if you visit as often as possible. Even if you can only visit a few times every year, that is better than not visiting at all. The one thing that should be noted is that if you can’t visit very often, it might be a good idea to make sure senior care providers can be with your loved one regularly. This way, your elderly loved one isn’t alone and there is something around if they need them.

Talking to Doctors

As a long-distance family caregiver, you probably can’t be around for your elderly loved one’s appointments. If this is the case, you should still talk to their doctors. You should ask to see notes, medication lists, test results, and other information from the appointments. By keeping in the loop with your elderly loved one’s doctors, you can ensure your loved one is receiving the care they need.

Emergency Plan

Since you live farther away from your elderly loved one, it is important that they know what to do if there is an emergency. Who are they supposed to call first and what are they supposed to do? Having an emergency plan can help to keep your elderly loved one safe if there is a fire, power outage, or other emergencies.

Conclusion

These are some of the ways that you can stop feeling guilty about being a long-distance caregiver. With these tips, you can focus more on communicating with your elderly loved one and making sure they are alright.

Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving/long-distance-caregiving

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior care in Plainsboro, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care today. Call (732) 607-8870.

Care Street Home Care Staff
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