Having a family member care for you as you age can be very rewarding on many levels and can even allow you to stay in your home longer. If you are a caregiver to a loved one, you understand how meaningful and valuable your service is to your spouse, parent, or grandparent.

If you have never been a caregiver, you may not understand that taking care of a loved one can affect the caregiver physically, emotionally, mentally and even financially. There can be many long hours spent looking after someone who needs assistance with their daily living. Sometimes help is needed to enable your family member to live independently, so you may offer help with groceries, shopping, driving to appointments and the care and maintenance of the home and yard. As time goes on and one’s health declines, the activities of daily living such as bathing, eating and toileting, may require assistance. 

More and more families find they need to care for their loved ones in their home as they age, face disabilities, and battle chronic illnesses. The average family caregiver spends 20 hours per week on caregiving. If you live with the person you are caring for, you usually spend 40 hours per week on their care. Children or grandchildren who care for a parent or grandparent may also find their job and finances are impacted as they care for their loved one and need to miss work for doctor’s appointments, therapies and other needs.

Caring for a loved one can impact the caregiver emotionally and many caregivers find that they experience depression, guilt, anger, and frustration. If you are a spouse caring for a husband or wife, you are much more likely to be depressed. The stress and exhaustion of daily care can also open caregivers up to more illnesses. 

As more people continue to remain at home and age in place, they often find that they have not accounted for all of the upkeep and maintenance required of the home or for the safety measures they will want to utilize as they age. The desire to find a home that is maintenance free and increases accessibility and safety features then becomes a priority. 

Having to care for a loved one, as you begin the process for a move can be overwhelming. Adult children may be caring for one or more parents and their own children, while maintaining their careers. In cases such as these, the entire family is under great stress and would benefit from a senior move management company such as Beyond The Fork In The Road. 

Beyond The Fork In The Road can come alongside the family to help them declutter and  downsize in preparation for a move. They will measure the new home, townhouse, apartment or suite and will create a customizable floor plan. Furniture will be measured and the clients will be given a magnetic floor plan with magnetic furniture, so they may determine in advance what furniture to keep and where to place it in their new home. Prior to moving day, Beyond The Fork In The Road’s team will come in to pack the home. On moving day, Beyond The Fork In The Road will be on hand to supervise movers and do a final pack of any belongings needed from the last night in the home. Then the team will begin unpacking everything in the new home and putting away belongings as desired by the client. 

Moving with Beyond The Fork In The Road not only minimizes the stress involved, but provides emotional and physical support for clients and caregivers. For caregivers and families, the customizable action plan offers a variety of services to support them as they transition to a new home. Beyond The Fork In The Road can dispose of hazardous waste materials, perform light cleaning at the old property, coordinate and schedule contract services, facilitate sale or distribution of unwanted property and arrange charity pick-ups if necessary. 

For a full list of services visit our website https://www.beyondtheforkintheroad.com/ or contact us for a consultation at 717-335-8080.

Click the link below to see the Caring.com article "A Caregiver's Guide to Coping with Stress and Burnout." The page gives statistics, symptoms, coping strategies, respite options and more. Learn how to better care for yourself or encourage the caregivers in your life...

https://www.caring.com/caregivers/burnout/