How Can You Prioritize Privacy as a Caregiver?

Make sure to prioritize privacy as a caregiver to protect your health and well-being.

Think back to your teenage years. Remember how important it was to find a safe place to be by yourself, to shut out the world, turn up the music, and write your most secret thoughts in your diary?

The need for privacy that began then may become overshadowed when providing care for someone else. Yet it’s still vitally important to be able to separate yourself both physically and mentally from your caregiving role to take time for yourself and prioritize privacy as a caregiver.

How Can a Caregiver Make Privacy a Priority?

Frankly, it isn’t always easy. You may feel as though you need to always have at least one ear and eye open to the needs of the person in your care. There are some steps you can take to help, however. Try:

• Designating a place of privacy for both yourself and the older adult. After all, they need privacy as much as you do. Agree that whenever either of you needs some alone time, you can retreat to your chosen spot and only interrupt one another in the event of an emergency.
• Determining house rules. In shared living spaces, come up with some basic rules of etiquette that are fair for all. For instance, take turns choosing TV shows to watch, so one person isn’t monopolizing the remote. Compromises such as this will make together time less stressful for all.
• Considering emotional privacy. Be sure to take regular breaks from care that allow you time to disconnect completely from your caregiving role. Go on vacations, attend events and activities with other friends and family members, take a book to the park for a relaxing afternoon. Hired Hands Homecare’s care experts are always on hand to fill your caregiving shoes while you take time for self-care.

Special Considerations for Dementia

If the person in your care is struggling with the challenges of dementia, finding privacy becomes more challenging – and even more important to obtain. The individual may require 24/7 oversight to ensure safety, but this doesn’t mean that you should (or can) provide that level of care yourself.

We often hear from primary family caregivers that there isn’t anyone in their circle of friends and family who knows the senior or the requirements of dementia care well enough to assist. This is when our specially trained and experienced dementia caregivers are an invaluable part of your care team. We can partner with you to ensure the seamless, reliable, skilled care a senior with dementia needs, while you take the regular breaks from care you need.

Contact Hired Hands Homecare at (866) 940-4343 for more caregiving tips and assistance in finding a healthy life balance. Our customized home care services are available in Petaluma, San Rafael, Novato, and throughout the Bay Area.