More often than not the family caregiving role is never planned. Frequently, family members find themselves over time, taking up full responsibility of the care recipient’s well-being. In such cases, caregivers are spouses, adult children, nieces or nephews, in-laws, grandchildren, friends even neighbours. Caregivers prioritize the care recipient’s high quality of life by ensuring that their comfort and dignity are highly held given their prevailing circumstances. This means that a caregiver’s role involves a great deal of giving and sacrificing of self needs for the benefit of the person receiving their care.
An increasing number of Kenyans find that they identify with this role description. Despite other engagements like career, education, social life or even parenting they find that they have to put another person’s wellness first. Family caregivers have halted engaging in activities that are valuable to them to create time for their loved one. Statistically, family caregivers are female and this is considered a gender role falling under the category of unpaid care work.
With hands ever full of duties and almost zero time for self, family Caregivers quite often become the invisible patients in the caregiver/care recipient relationship. Their own needs are rarely given much consideration making most operate from a position of fatigue, loneliness and other times, burn-out. Family caregivers admit to experiencing feelings of guilt when they think about their welfare.
Self-care for caregivers should not only be normalized but also prioritized. It’s only logical that a caregiver has to feel whole and healthy to effectively perform their role.
As a family caregiver, these are areas of self-care one focus on;
- Physical health and personal hygiene: Is your nutrition up to standard? Do you have time for exercise? Do you have sufficient sleeping time? Do you take a shower and have a change of clothes?
- Your Mental Health: Are your emotions in check? What do you do to attain peace of mind? Are you a spiritual person?
- Your Support System: Do you have trusted people who can fill in for you when you cannot effectively discharge your caregiving role? Do you have people you can ask for help from? Are you part of a support group of other caregivers with whom you can share experiences? Do you have a professional counsellor within reach?
- Your expectations of yourself and your care recipient: How well do you know about your loved one’s condition? Are you able to single-handedly manage your loved one’s varying emotions?
When a caregiver is aware of their own needs, then they will better take care of their wellness and ultimately perform a better job with their loved ones.