I wish to send out this post regarding how grateful I am to have such Truly Amazing Clients and their Families. You become an extension of a family when you work closely with the Senior Client….but also their Children who are Caregivers to their Parents.
As we move into the new year I have, again, been taught so much by really listening to my Seniors…and maybe what they are not verbally saying. You become a bit of a Sherlock Holmes in softly extracting what they are trying to say, but don’t know how to express it. Listening is a great skill. Calmness and Flexibility is another.
As a Caregiver you have to be flexible. One case comes to mind when my client had a Doctors Appointment. When I arrived she was so nauseated from the 11 pills the Nursing Staff were giving her on an empty stomach every morning. (the medications have been adjusted, and she is given breakfast before any pills are dispensed), but we HAD TO get to the doctors.
My client who was still in her pajamas said that we should take the wastepaper basket with us in the car because of her stomach upset. EXECUTIVE DECISON….Cancel the appointment! Simple as that sounds, others would press to take her to her appointment. And maybe deal with a situation in the car when there is an accident….or in the Doctors Office. Relax…cancel the appointment…call her Daughter and let your client relax and make her some tea.
Learning to lead with a Compassionate Heart and honing those Listening Skills are my mottos.
Namaste, (The God/Goddess within me acknowledges the God/Goddess within you.)
Nancy
