Caregiver Huntersville NC
Your back is one of your most important assets as a family caregiver, but if you don’t take care of it, you’ll find that you’re in a world of pain. Learning how to properly lift and assist your elderly loved one in moving is essential.
Know Your Own Limitations
Understanding your own limitations, physical and otherwise, can help you to avoid injuring yourself when you need to assist or lift your elderly loved one. If you already know that you’re not very strong, you can do things to build up your strength. Since exercise is an important part of your day anyway for general health and stress relief, it’s great that it can do one more thing for you.
Use All the Tools You Can
There are an amazing range of back supports, chairs, walkers, canes, and other lifting tools that you can utilize in order to help you lift and assist your loved one. The more effectively you can use all of these tools in concert with each other, the easier the situation will be on your back. Make sure that you read all instructions thoroughly so that you don’t injure yourself or your loved one while using any assistive devices.
Get Expert Help
Talk to your loved one’s doctors and other care providers about the best ways to help move your loved one. They can check your form for you and make sure that you’re lifting properly. Ask them to show you exactly what to do, where to place your body, and how to move correctly. Another source of expert help can be found in support groups of other family caregivers who have been doing the same thing only for a longer timeframe.
Let Your Loved One Know the Plan
Any time that you’re helping to move, adjust, or lift your elderly loved one, make sure that you let him know what the plan is. Be as specific as possible to eliminate any confusion. You’ll want to give him plenty of warning to either help you or to brace himself for the movement. If your loved one can help, let him help as much as he can.
Work with your loved one’s doctors and elderly care providers to make sure that you are both able to stay as healthy as possible.
