Do you know what’s going on in the therapy community?    They are tired of the insurance game, the productivity expectations of their employer, and they are feeling the push toward finding a new career.  Many are actively looking for ways to find a way out of even high-paying jobs.   I am a perfect example.

What does this mean for you and your loved one?

1.  if they are to be placed into STR or LTC you will be seeing this strain.  You may see a different type of “rehab” than you expected.  In combination with the effects of the pandemic on the rehab industry in these settings, the growing burnout rate among therapists is another wave of change that can’t be ignored.  
2. You may have an opportunity to maximize your loved ones’ well-being right now at home.  Don’t wait for something to happen.  A fall, UTI that causes a decline in mobility, a stroke, worsened CHF or COPD, Diabetic complications.  These are the things that cause many otherwise unsuspecting individuals to enter an extended care facility like STR or even LTC

Let’s start working toward preventative medicine at home.  How?  First, you have to believe that you have the power to make an enormous change and that doesn’t mean you DO MORE.  In fact, in means, you do less. You need to make room for the one you are caring for to do what they can do to the best of their ability.  Ready to shift focus? 

Let’s start with imagining your day.   How you feel right now.  Are you listening to this with a burned-out spirit?  Are you approaching it?  Do you dread proceeding through the day?  Maybe not but perhaps you can feel it creeping in.  

I am going to tell you an insider to the healthcare industry secret.  When we begin to perform our roles with less connection, less purpose, and we are asked to see more and more patients; we rush and we begin to feel the beginning of burnout.  Healthcare workers can move onto a different job.  They can leave behind the thing that is exhausting them.  

You can not.  But, you CAN modify it.  So, you need to find a way to begin doing your caregiving differently.  I’ve said it before but here it is again, I know without a doubt that every caregiver has the full potential to be as effective as a certified clinician in developing strength, mobility, social and cognitive growth.  What does it take?  

• Knowing your personal goal/vision for yourself.  Your daily routine.  How you feel.
• Knowing what your client/ loved one’s strengths are and how to use them.  How to build on those strengths while maintaining them as used in your daily routine.  
• Knowing your barriers: (environmental, social, physical, economic, mental) you must know what is getting in the way of your loved one making progress.  There may be several.  Why?  If you don’t know what they are they will grow like a weed and take over your garden that you are so carefully trying to maintain balance in. 

Finding a daily routine that puts all of these things together in a way that puts your vision ( go back to the beginning) first and your client/ loved ones’ abilities and potential right next to that.  You need to be a partner with your loved one, not just a service provider/ caregiver.  You need to think of them as your partner with whom you will work to achieve a goal.    Talk to them about a goal. 
Get help here: http://caregiverbydesign.com/vision
3 part video training t

Support the show

If you need more help/support on your caregiving journey, you can find it over at https://www.caregiverbydesign.com/coaching
Free training now : watch a short free video I created on coaching vs caregiving https://www.caregiverbydesign.com/freetraining