A loved one suffers serious injuries and ends up getting disabled. While they do work with medical professionals for rehab and things of this nature, you basically become their in-home caretaker.
This is a common setup, and it can feel overwhelming. To help you, here are a few tips:
- See how other family members can help, as well. Do not be too proud to ask. When everyone pitches in, it makes life easier and shows the disabled individual how much everyone loves them.
- Learn as much as possible about the injury, the disability and any other medical conditions. The more you learn, the easier it is to provide care.
- Keep your focus on the positive, not the negative. For instance, don’t spend as much time thinking or talking about what that person can no longer do. Instead, discuss what they can do. Find inspiring goals or milestones to work toward.
- Learn about new technologies and products that may help. Things are constantly being invented that can make people more independent, healthier and happier.
- Understand when you need a break. There’s no shame in that. This can be a long-term position — perhaps forever — and it’s all right to have other family members take over for a bit or look into respite care options. You need to take care of your loved one, but you need to take care of yourself, as well.
You can see that this is going to bring about a lot of changes in your life. Some are expensive. Make sure you know what legal options you have.
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