By Leo Cora
Elderly support services are one of the most rewarding roles you can undertake. Whether caring for a participant or a relative, everyday is filled with new challenges and exciting aspects that make this position truly dynamic and inspiring.
But with any support role comes challenges, and an elderly support worker should know that the role can, at times, be rather tough, but in the end this is partly what makes it so satisfying!
Regardless, it is important to maintain a personal care and stress management program to ensure that the challenges that come your way won’t go as far as to overwhelm you.
With this in mind, here are some positive personal care and stress management tips for elderly support workers:
- Take a moment to breath
The best aged care services shellharbour has will always recommend taking a breather, as there is always time for a carer to take a breath.
Even if a particular shift has you running multiple tasks at once, you can still take time to step out of the room and catch your breath.
If you ever feel that a particular shift is a little overwhelming, we definitely recommend stepping outside and taking 10 deep breaths, as this can go a long way to calm those daunting, stressful feelings that can arise on a particularly challenging day.
- Take time to yourself
To avoid burnout, and if you feel you need it, be sure to take time to yourself when outside of the workplace. This can include anything from going for a long walk to following a particular hobby you love like exercise, music or painting, but the point is to take some to yourself and remember that you have your own life to live, too!
After all, this is a position that can make carers feel that they are putting in a lot of effort for other people without allowing too much time for their own endeavours, loved ones and passions – remember that making the most of these in your down time is essential to avoiding burnout!
- Catch up with friends & family
Because there is nothing more important than spending time with our loved ones, especially as they will be there to listen to your concerns and stresses regarding your work. Whether you do something as simple and carefree as a beach day, go to show or go out to dinner, maintaining contact with friends and family is essential to creating a healthy work-life balance.
- Don’t take things personally
Of course, there might be times when a particular participant isn’t cooperating with the help you are trying to give them. The most important thing to remember is that this isn’t a personal attack on you – sometimes participants simply don’t think they need the help.
- Keep up the exercise
Exercise is one of life’s great stress reliefs, so if you ever find yourself a little burnt out after a challenging week of care giving, perhaps it would be a great idea to go for a run, go to the gym or partake in a weekly sporting event. This may involve joining your local sports club or taking up something like tennis, either way it’s an awesome way to shake off the cobwebs of a trying week!
Regardless, it’s important not to take it personally and to remember why you got into the role in the first – to provide an outstanding service that is making a huge difference in people’s lives (even if sometimes they don’t seem to appreciate it!).
