How to take care of a sick family member in your house?

Author- Shravani Prabhudesai 

Caring a family member who is sick extremely overwhelming.  Care giving for the elderly is an undeveloped area in India and caregiver as a profession does not exist. So you have to do this on your own. It is your primary duty to take care of your parents, grandparents or any other members in your family. Helping someone in their need is a very good work. There is one phrase in English which says, “God helps those who help others”. According to this saying, helping others is just like helping god and when you help the needy ones, you are blessed by them and by god.

There are two different categories of home health care. Either medical or a non-medical home health care.

Nowadays, joint families are vanishing and we can see a family of four excluding the grandparents. These grandparents or the old members in the family are either shifted in an old age homes or are given an independent flat or a  house and are told to stay there.

Taking care of old members in the family is extremely important. Most of the young population is living away from their parents and where parents are not in joint families, it can be a serious issue. But to minimize this problem, there are certain centers and communities getting developed to care of the old people in the family.

There are few things you need to focus when you have a responsibility of your old and sick family member in your homes. Read on to find what are they?

Make a list of their crucial needs which help them to stay safe and healthy: Keep an eye on their daily routine.  Get their timely checkup done. Also, see to that whether they are able to manage their medical appointments on their own or they need any help.

Check for other resources that you can utilize : See if you can get any help from other members of your family. If yes them explain them your needs and what exact help you need form them.  Make sure you are specific about your requirement and also be aware of exactly what type of help you need before you make a general plea for help. Also there check for any other community resources such as volunteer agencies or social service options that qualify for her.

Make sure you are capable enough to help them physically, mentally and financially: Also you should have enough time to devote your family. In this case you can even opt for Work from home option. ? Care giving can be very complicated and time consuming. It is rewarding taking care of your old family members but there is no doubt you have to take good care of yourself before you can provide care to a loved one. It’s okay to acknowledge if you are not in a position to give a loved one what they need, in fact it is far better than attempting to provide things or making a commitment to do so, when it is beyond your capabilities.

Ask yourself if you have what is required to provide the help they need: Wanting to help or feeling an obligation to help is completely understandable, but do you have the time and energy it takes to give them the support which they need. If you find you are the only option to provide care at the moment, make your own physical and emotional health a priority first or you will quickly become depleted and that is no benefit to anyone. This support could be either way mentally, financially and also physically.

If you are not able to manage all the above things at a time then you can also see for a full time trained care taker or a nurse who can take care of your family members and then even you don’t have to worry much about your family and hence you can concentrate on your other works.

See the problem from various angles and get the solution with the help of a doctor and also seek advice from other family member about the same. Prayer is good but medical attention is primary. Home health care is a necessity for health and wellness. It allows our loved ones to stay in the home they love. It prevents patients from having to return to the emergency room because they are receiving the proper care at home. In every possible way you will see the benefits of home health care.