Coping Tips For the Overwhelmed Caregiver

In this episode of The Caregiver Café with Roz Jones, Roz is talking about something many caregivers know all too well: feeling overwhelmed while caring for an aging loved one.

Caregiving can be an all-consuming and demanding role. Between doctor’s appointments, medications, meals, daily routines, work responsibilities, and trying to care for yourself, it can start to feel like too much. But Roz reminds caregivers that overwhelm does not always mean you are failing. Sometimes it means you need a better system, more support, and a little more preparation.

Roz breaks down practical coping tips caregivers can use to reduce stress and create more breathing room in their day. She talks about the power of routines, using a calendar or planner, writing down appointments, preparing in advance, and building in extra time so caregivers are not always rushing from one thing to the next.

This episode is a practical reminder that caregiving requires preparation, not perfection. Whether it is meal prepping, planning appointments, creating routines, or giving yourself extra time to get your loved one ready, small steps can help reduce the stress and pressure that often come with caregiving.

Caregivers do not have to carry everything in chaos. With the right routines, support, and planning, you can create more peace for yourself and the loved one in your care.

Thank you for listening. If this episode encouraged you, supported you, or gave you something to think about as a caregiver, be sure to stay connected with Roz Jones.

Visit Roz online for caregiver resources, blogs, books, speaking information, and support for families navigating the caregiving journey.

Website: www.rozjonesent.com

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You can also subscribe, rate, and share this episode with another caregiver who may need encouragement today.

Because caregiving is not meant to be carried alone.

Transcript

Intro 0:00

Hey guys, how are you doing today? Can I get you started with something to drink? Is your aging loved one home alone? Forgetting to take medicine or pay bills? The Caregiver Cafe with Roz Jones has a menu of resources to serve your caregiver needs. As a caregiver, Roz understands your daily challenges. This podcast focuses on the unique and dynamic issues of caregiving.

Roz Jones 0:24

Welcome back to the Caregiver Cafe. I am Roz Jones, the CEO and owner of Jacksonville's Best Caregivers, and today we are talking about are you an overwhelmed caregiver? Are you an overwhelmed caregiver? Caregiver for an older older adult is an all-consuming, demanding job. It is easy for you to get into your feelings and sometimes feel like this is too much. So, what is a way to be able to cope with feeling overwhelmed? So we just want to give you a few quick tips to be able to help you on your journey as a caregiver to reduce that feeling of being overwhelmed. Number one, let's talk about setting up routines. Don't underestimate the power of a routine and also using a calendar. Honey, I live by calendar. If it's not on the calendar, you don't have an appointment. Trust and believe you will not see this woman. And so you should set the same boundaries. Calendars and routines are good for setting boundaries and to let people know how you want to be treated and how you want to be respected. So calendars are very, very important. So setting up a routine, use and number two, using a calendar or a planner. This will help you write down all your appointments and then also to the appointments of the one that you're taking care of. So to make sure that you know you don't forget anything and also too that when you are scheduling your own appointments, that maybe you can do them all together. You can do your doctor's appointment with your loved one's doctor appointment and you guys can make it a field trip and maybe go out and get some ice cream or a big old piece of cheesecake. So those, so you know, that's that's one way of making sure that you don't get overwhelmed is to have a routine and to make sure that you have a calendar. Next, taking care of yourself. Self-care is so important. You know, it's easy putting off your putting off taking care of yourself when you're taking care of someone, taking care of someone, and you know, we go back to the old adage, if you can't, you know, if if if you can't get someone else to do it, do it yourself. Well, I can't do it myself, so I gotta ask for help. And so those are the things that we have to take take into consideration is that we have to ask for help. That's a part of self-care. You have to ask for help, and that's a part of making sure not only physically that you get to help, but then mentally you're able to sleep and to rest and to keep your peace and joy. Uh-huh. And so that you don't get bitter as a caregiver. Because it's easy to do that when you're taking care of someone because you're giving so much, but you forget to take care of yourself. The next thing is, um so far as not being overwhelmed, is to make sure that you do some meal prep. It's good to say, okay, this week we're gonna eat these meals, next week we're gonna these do these meals, and then maybe on Saturday and Sunday, you call, you get a takeout. Let's do pizza this week, let's do lasagna. So once a week, treat yourself. Uh-huh. You know, do meal prep to make it easy for you to, you know, be able to uh manage your time wisely, but then also to treat yourself. If you're the one you're taking care of, let's go out to eat on Saturdays. Let that be some type of excursion for not only for you, but for them, so that each one of you can get away from the house, you're away from your work, and you know, it it makes a really good opportunity for you to be able to sit down and say, Hey, I want to talk to you, you want to talk to me. Is there anything this week I need to know about? Anything you want to talk to me about? And it takes you out of that house environment and it puts you in a fresh environment where it gives more opportunity for conversation and it's it's healthy, it's healthy to get out of the house. And then number five, when you are ever taking care of a loved one and you are uh not only taking care of yourself but taking care of them, build in a cushion of time. Build in a time. So say for instance, if your loved one has a doctor's appointment at four o'clock, you don't want to leave your job at 3 45 and trying to get them to the doctor. You have to have what's called that cushion, honey. You better have that cushion. You have to have enough time to be able to not only prepare them the day before, but you want to make sure that everything's in the car, their medicine, you have to have enough time to pick them up, drive them to the appointment, and then from the appointment, get them out of the car and to the doctor. So these are things that you need to understand to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and pressured. So let me go over those things really, really quick, okay? Number one is set up routines. Number two is use a planner or calendar. Number three, take care of yourself. Number four, do some things in advance, meal preps, whatever you can do in advance to save time, do that. And then number five, build in that extra time to make sure that you don't feel, oh, I'm so stressed and so anxious. I gotta rush, rush, rush. And a lot of times we are so used to doing, you know, uh, you know, I can leave in 15 minutes and get to the doctor, but when you're taking care of someone who is aging, they don't move as fast as they used to, honey. Trust me. Sometimes it could, I could tell you, baby, sometimes it could take a whole 30 minutes for them to get in the car. And then when you park, you gotta get the wheelchair. Then that's a whole nother 30-minute process. So realize and understand that um when you're dealing with a person, it's almost like dealing with a child, it's about preparation, okay, not perfection. I'm Ross Jones. Once again, I want to thank you so much for listening to the Caregiver Cafe and understanding what's in our cup and what's brewing, and that we love to serve you. Is there anything that you want to hear about that we have not addressed? Please uh in the comment section, let us know what you would like us to address. I'm Ross Jones, CEO and owner of Jacksonville's best caregivers, and we thank you so much for coming to the cafe, the caregiver cafe, and being served. Uh, and on the menu today was being the overwhelmed caregiver.

Outro 6:42

Until your next visit to the Caregiver Cafe, connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn, and her blog at the CaregiverCafe.net. Caregiver Cafe Podcast specializes in serving those who provide care and support to a sick or aging loved one. I'm the voice guest, but I'm one of you. So when Roz has on experts or frontline workers, I'm listening. We hope you've enjoyed the show. In the meantime, don't forget to connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn, or at the blog at thecaregivercafe.net.