Tips for Working Mothers Who Also Care for Elderly Loved Ones

Few people are as busy as working mothers, but those who also have to care for elderly parents can quickly find themselves brought to the brink of burnout. Often, it is hard to even look into extra support or ways to help because as soon as no one needs you, you just want to fall into bed and sleep! However, below are a few ideas that might help a little bit. 

Get Help 

The difficulty with caring for an elderly loved one is that their care needs can steadily increase, so you take on more work without really noticing how much it affects you. No matter your training, there will always come a time when you can no longer support your loved one in the way that is needed. Moving an elderly loved one into Signature Care Homes can ensure that they get the level of care they need and the social interaction they may not be getting outside of a care home. If you do not want this to be a permanent change, you should look into respite care such as Olympia Hospice Care.

Make sure everyone in your household is contributing, and if you can afford it, consider hiring someone to clean once a week (even if they just do the bathrooms) to reduce your workload. Talk to your child’s school or nursery so that they know what is happening; they may have support groups in place or be more understanding about missed deadlines. 

Technology 

Use technology to reduce your workload – look into smart thermostats to control the heating and hot water, no matter if you’re stuck in the emergency room after another fall. Get a smart vacuum cleaner and throw out anything in the kitchen which needs to be hand washed. 

Plenty of services will deliver items directly to your home, from ready meals to medication – make full use of these. Don’t waste time getting a prescription when the medicine can land on your doorstep, and you can still enjoy gardening by getting plants delivered to you. 

You aren’t alone in this – someone somewhere will have come up with a solution.

Organization

Technology can make every aspect of our lives easier, so embrace it. Set timers and calendar alerts. Everything should go into an appointment on your phone so that you don’t have to waste brain power remembering it. 

A small but useful tip is to label every storage space in your home (using pictures if small children need access) – this way, no one should be asking you where something is, and you don’t need to remember it. Try to move where items are stored as well – putting snacks, drinks, plates, and cups where children can easily reach them so they help themselves when necessary. 

Try to stock up on nutritious snacks to have around the house. That way, when you need to grab something quickly, you’ll be able to get something healthy. Having some long-lasting snacks to live in your car will also help for those emergency times when you have to nip out to help someone during your short lunch break. 

Try to have fun 

Having fun with your child and your elderly loved one is equally important. Often children can feel neglected when an elderly relative is always prioritized, so focusing only on them is important. Children can also keep elderly people more alert and engaged with life, so bring them together as often as possible – which might help with your workload. It’s easy to separate jobs in your mind, but it is possible to combine roles more often than expected.