Taking care of anyone can be a challenge, especially if the person being cared for is elderly. While it’s expected to care for children into adulthood, teaching them life skills and how to navigate the world around them as they grow, caring for the elderly is a different type of caregiving task.
While caregiving comes with many setbacks and takes a special person to do well, it also comes with many life lessons that can prove to be beneficial to navigating several obstacles and challenges in life. Here are 5 essential skills for navigating life’s challenges based on lessons from caregiving. What you learn can help you determine if you would be ideal for a caregiving position while also teaching you to be appreciative if any caregiving opportunities come your way in the future.
Vulnerability Means Many Things
Elderly abuse is unfortunately common because of how vulnerable the elderly can be, even if they have financial resources and family members who can speak out for them. For children, being vulnerable means being open to new things and learning how the world works. It also means determining facts and judgments for themselves as they learn to form opinions and navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow smarter, stronger, and more capable of change.
For the elderly, vulnerability means something else entirely. A vulnerable elderly person may be losing their cognitive or physical abilities and is likely reliant on other people to help them perform even the most minute tasks. Similar to how an infant or toddler is vulnerable, so is the exposure of an elderly individual. Vulnerability means many things, and it’s wise to respect vulnerability from a caretaker’s point of view and never take advantage of a loved one or charge who relies on you. If you ever see an elderly or handicapped individual being taken advantage of in a nursing home or home health setting, seek the assistance of nursing neglect attorneys right away. They can help a vulnerable or at-risk individual get the representation they need to thrive and protect themselves against physical, emotional, and financial abuse.
Everyone Needs Help Sometimes
Even if a loved one or independent person claims they don’t need help or assistance, the opposite may be true. From a caregiving perspective, it’s wise to see the unspoken ways an individual may need help with even the simplest things, from checking mail to watering flowers to simply sitting down with someone and offering company. Never assume someone is OK simply because they aren’t outwardly asking for help.
Patience Is Part Of Life
Being patient with the young and old can be challenging sometimes. With children, there’s the constant explaining of boundaries and why things work the way they do, even as children push these boundaries to the limit. With the elderly, there’s being patient with abilities a person may not be able to do even though their age and experience claim otherwise. Patience is a virtue that is necessary in caregiving, along with the next point that will be made. Without patience, navigating life will be not only difficult, but you may find yourself frustrated much of the time for little reason.
Empathy Makes All Situations More Clear
Empathy is the ability to see another person’s view from their perspective. Perhaps to you, an elderly person may look fully capable of getting dressed, remembering their medication, or getting out of the house to visit friends and family. But from their perspective, the pain of movement or the feeling of being overwhelmed by chores, or perhaps the crushing fear of loneliness and abandonment in old age as their friends and loved ones pass on, makes it difficult for an elderly person to accomplish even the most minor of tasks. A caregiver sees the world through the lens of their patients so they can best serve them and ease their woes.
If you have an issue with empathy, try this: try to imagine how you would feel if you were in another person’s situation you are having conflict with or don’t understand. You just may find that you would handle a situation very similarly to how they are, which can help you not only feel more compassionate about their plight, but more encouraged to be patient and helpful as well.
Life Can Change In An Instant
Any caregiver can tell you that life can change in an instant. When caring for the elderly or infirm, one day life can be going well and a person can be largely independent, and the next day they can take a turn and be dependent on constant care. This is a life lesson in preparedness and being flexible enough to handle life’s challenges when things inevitably change. You never know when an illness or financial tragedy will strike, and being prepared and able to accept change will help make navigating life’s challenges that much easier for you.
Navigating Life’s Challenges
Whether you are a caregiver of someone else or you are simply trying to get by in your own life, remember the lessons from caregiving that can help you navigate the challenges that may or may not come your way in life. From being able to prepare for life’s natural changes to being more compassionate and patient with the people around you, lessons in caregiving can help you be a more useful and pleasant human being.
