Family

Caregiver

Month

Are you a caregiver?

• Whether you are a parent caring for your children or an adult

caring for your aging parents, you are considered a caregiver

for your family.

• Some adults are even in situations where they have to care

for both their children and their parents – this is called the

“sandwich” generation.

Are you a caregiver?

• Taking responsibility to care for others can be a

tough challenge, but luckily there is information and

resources to help you.

• In the midst of spending time taking care of others,

it is important to set aside time in order to take care

of yourself. If you are not taken care of first, how

can you take care of others to the best of your

ability?

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Take Care of YOU First:

“Caring for yourself is one of the most important—and one of the most often forgotten—things you can do as a caregiver. When your needs are taken care of, the person you care for will benefit, too.”

Why??

We must realize that when we are taking care of

ourselves, we are benefitting our minds, bodies,

and overall health. If we are healthy and physically

and mentally able, we are able to take care of our

loved ones to the fullest potential.

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Did you know?

Did you know that as a caregiver, you are actually at

an increased risk for depression and chronic illness?

Yet, despite this increased risk, as a caregiver, you

STILL may not practice preventive health care and

self-care behaviors. Many caregivers report being

sleep deprived, poor eating habits, not exercising, and

not scheduling doctor’s appointments for themselves.

Caregiver.org

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Incorporate Diet and Exercise into Yours and Your Family’s Routine:

Proper diet and exercise will not just benefit you, but

also your family. Of course, the exercise and nutrition

requirements are comprehensive – meaning that they

must be age and ability-appropriate.

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For aging parents:

• Let your parents do small callisthenic exercises by

using a resistance band to help improve and

upkeep their muscle mass.

• Have them join you on a small walk if they are able

to – anything to get them moving.

• You can even put on some music and dance to

some old tunes, which can boost their mood too!

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For aging parents:

• Play games which stimulate their minds, such as

card games, chess, and more.

• Get them eating healthy foods, but be careful of

giving them too much sugar and too much fiber.

Consult with their doctors on the diets they should

have and the healthy foods you can enjoy together.

• Finally, try to keep you aging parents away from

bad habits such as tobacco and alcohol use.

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Back to YOU

• Schedule Doctor’s and Dentist’s appointments for yourself.

• Practice preventive healthcare by getting annual

physicals, seeing a therapist if needed, seeing your

specialty doctor, and yes, getting your teeth

cleaned twice per year.

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Back to YOU continued

• Decompress at the end of the day.

• Take some time for yourself at the end of the day

by taking a bath, listening to soothing music,

stretching, doing yoga, or meditating. Try to do all of

these things if possible and you will see your stress

levels going down each day.

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Back to YOU continued

• Eat 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables EVERY DAY.

• Taking care of your health by eating nutritiously can

help you in more ways than one; Eating the right

foods each day will give you sustained energy, fight

off illness, boost your immune system, and keep

your body healthy and slender.

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Back to YOU continued

• Make sure you get your 8 hours in.

• Getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night will help

increase your mood during the day, help you to feel

well-rested, and more importantly energized so you

can continue to take care of yourself and your loved

ones.

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As you learned from this presentation, you won’t be able to fully benefit the

loved ones you care for unless you care for yourself first.

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Click the link below to take the quiz. Your response

will be automatically sent to the City of Montgomery

Wellness Coordinator.

https://surveys.trihealth.com/Survey.aspx?s=908251a

7defd45d1b73e17f648eb7668

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