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Are You Making These Excuses to Avoid Taking a Break?

When is the last time you took a break from being a caregiver? If it’s been a while or, worse, you can’t even remember, you might be making excuses for why you cannot take a break.

Being a caregiver can be a stressful job, so taking breaks is essential to good physical and mental health. Unfortunately, many caregivers make excuses to justify why they cannot take a break. In time, they come to believe their own excuses and may not even realize their doing it.

To help caregivers reevaluate whether they might be avoiding taking breaks, below are some of the excuses they commonly make.

I don’t really need a break.

Homecare Thompsons Station TN - Are You Making These Excuses to Avoid Taking a Break? — Homecare Thompsons Station TN – Are You Making These Excuses to Avoid Taking a Break?

Some caregivers don’t think they need breaks. While that might be honorable, it isn’t very realistic, and it certainly isn’t healthy. Think of it this way: Would you expect to work for a business without ever taking a day off or having a vacation? Probably not. Make no mistake, being a caregiver is work. You deserve days off just like anyone else.

Homecare is just babysitting.

Caregivers may be reluctant to hire homecare because they don’t understand what the service entails. They might think all they get for their money is “babysitting” or supervision of the older adult. In truth, homecare offers much more. They can make meals for the senior, clean the house, do laundry, offer enjoyable activities, and so much more. In fact, a homecare provider can do nearly anything for your aging relative that you can do yourself.

My older family member won’t accept help from anyone else.

It’s true that some seniors can be reluctant to accept help from anyone other than their primary family caregiver. However, there are strategies caregivers can use to convince their aging relative to accept outside help. For example, you might offer a trial period to see if they like having homecare. It’s very likely they’ll find they do, and you can continue getting the time off you need in the future.

No one else will do the job as well as I do.

Family caregivers certainly do provide great care for their older family members. There’s no disputing their worth. However, when you get homecare through an agency, you can be certain that the provider sent to your home is highly qualified and will offer excellent care to your family member. Agencies carefully screen all of their employees for both qualifications and safety. Therefore, you can be certain that your loved one will be in good hands.