How Are You Oldilocks? Caregivers near Catalina Foothills, AZ Always Need to be Aware of their Words
When you are spending a lot of time with close friends, you may have a tendency to get into a habit of saying whatever’s on your mind. The more comfortable you are talking to certain people, the less you may pay attention to the actual things that you say. However, words can have significant impact on other people.
When you are caregiver for an elderly patient, whether it is a family member or someone else, you need to be aware of the things that you say. Even a simple passing comments that you see as a joke can be interpreted as something very personal and mean.
When you arrive at the patient’s home, you may have a tendency to say certain things as a way to lighten the mood. Your attempts to make things lighter can darken the mood very quickly.
For example, you arrive at the patient’s house and noticed that it appears as though she just got out of bed. It may be 2 o’clock in the afternoon so you make a comment like, “Well, I guess it’s good that you decided to join the day.”
Maybe you say something like this with a smile and even follow it up by saying that you are just kidding. Even though it was a joke, the patient may feel bad about having gotten out of bed so late or that they didn’t get dressed yet. It may be that they couldn’t do so without your assistance. Maybe the patient felt uneasy on his or her feet that morning and decided to wait for your assistance.
Now that you have made that comment, they may resist assistance from you because they feel guilty for not having taken care of themselves.
Words have an incredible ability to impact people’s lives. It is important as a caregiver to pay attention to all of the things that you say and avoid those sarcastic, “all in good fun,” jokes. They may be humorous to you, but they may not be so funny to the person on the receiving end.
It may be a habit of yours as well, so you may need to evaluate the situation and think about some of the things you said to the patient while you are providing home care. If you notice somebody else saying harsh things that can be interpreted as attacks or insults, take them aside and explain that this is simply not acceptable when they are a caregiver. Instead, use words to encourage and lift up the patient. You’ll find they have just as much power, but for good instead.
If you or an aging loved on are considering caregiving services in the home, please contact the caring staff at Total Care Connections (520) 447-4711. We provide quality Home Care & Assisted Living Placement Serving Tucson, Green Valley, Oro Valley, and Surrounding Areas!
