In part 2 of this “Becoming a Caregiver” series, Prep Dish founder Allison Schaaf shares tips she’s learned for caring for aging parents. Becoming a caretaker often happens unexpectedly and it’s helpful to have an idea of what it might look like.

5 Lessons Learned:

1. You Can Hire Caretakers. Depending on the level of care needed, having a hired caretaker can be really helpful. You can find live-in caretakers if needed. You can hire through agencies or you can hire directly. Background checks and reference checks are important.

2. Document Everything. I used Trello to track conversations with doctors, keep track of phone numbers, etc. This is an easy way to share information with siblings, etc.

3. Meal Plans are Helpful! Whether or not you’ve hired a caretaker, using a meal plan to organize meals for the household is very helpful. Our Prep Dish meal plans make it easy for someone to jump in and help.

4. Try Therapy: Therapy can be very helpful as you process things emotionally. Specifically, the EMDR approach has been helpful for me.

5. Treasure: Try to find moments to treasure amidst the chaos. Take photos and find simple activities you can do together. If a parent is living with you, it can be hard but it can also be an opportunity to form new memories together.

Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777

Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans!

Trello: https://trello.com/

EMDR Therapy: https://www.healthline.com/health/emdr-therapy#:~:text=What%20is%20EMDR%20therapy%3F,don't%20process%20them%20completely.

How Will You Measure Your Life? (book): https://www.amazon.com/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0008316422/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1654974194&sr=8-1