Support for Families & Caregivers
Successful Caregiving
Caring for a family member can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging. Around 100 million U.S. adults care for a loved one, and around 56% balance caregiving with a full-time job. You may feel like slowing down is not an option, but to care for your loved one as well as possible, you have to take good care of yourself, too. Taking care of your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health helps you be the best version of yourself while caring for someone else.
Caregiving Tips
Take breaks.
Even a 30-minute break can allow you to get in a good workout, meditate, eat a healthy snack, take a walk, or do something else that helps you unwind.
Seek support and ask for help.
When friends and family offer their support, accept it—at least once in a while. Give specific examples of what you would like help with, such as: “Could you pick up Mom’s medications today?” Letting others help gives you the chance to take breaks and care for yourself.
Make time for yourself.
Do something that makes you happy every day. Whether it is reading a book, taking a walk, listening to music, or anything else that helps relax you.
Stay connected.
You may be busy, but do not let yourself become isolated. Make time to visit with family and friends, even if it is a phone call or video chat.
Be open to new technology.
While some tech tools take time to get used to, innovative offerings like telehealth, home automation, and emergency response systems can ease aspects of caregiving.
Stay organized.
Keep your loved one’s medical information easily accessible and neatly organized so it is easy to find.
Take daily steps to stay healthy.
Establish an exercise routine and eat a heart-healthy diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables, and limit processed foods and refined sugars.
Give yourself credit.
Being a caregiver is one of the most challenging jobs. There are good days and bad days, but at the end of the day, know that you are doing a fantastic job.
Assisted Living Options
Watching a loved one struggle with tasks they once handled easily is difficult, and knowing when to seek help is not always clear. Assisted living is often the right next step for seniors who can no longer manage entirely on their own, but do not yet need the intensive, 24-hour medical care of traditional long-term care.
Assisted living offers your loved one:
- A thoughtful balance of residential living, health services, and recreational opportunities
- Personalized help with day-to-day activities that may have become challenging, such as bathing, dressing, or medication management
- Many of the same social and lifestyle benefits found in independent living, so your loved one can stay engaged and connected
Does assisted living sound like the right option for your loved one? For more information, please visit our Assisted Living Care page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I talk to my parents about assisted living? Have you noticed signs that your loved one may need assisted living? Decisions and discussions about senior care and living options can often be difficult. At Grand Oaks, we have helped many families make the transition smoothly—we recommend scheduling multiple visits, touring our spacious apartments, enjoying comfortable and elegant furnishings, and introducing your parents to our current residents. Let them experience assisted living for themselves to determine if it is the right fit.
How is Grand Oaks different from other assisted living facilities in the Washington, D.C. area? Grand Oaks is unique for many reasons: Situated on the campus of Sibley Memorial Hospital, Grand Oaks residents and their families have the Sibley assurance of quality care. You and your loved ones will benefit from customized personal assistance and a nursing staff that is on duty 24 hours a day. You or your loved one will also enjoy an active, varied lifestyle, including trips to the Kennedy Center, stimulating lectures with lively discussion, and classes focused on creativity, exercise, and social interaction.
My parent does not want to leave home, but they are forgetting things and do not always eat right. What would their life be like if they lived at Grand Oaks? Daily life at Grand Oaks is active and varied. Residents enjoy cultural, intellectual, and social activities throughout the day. There are art and daily exercise classes, a chapel, a beauty salon, and a warm-water pool. Freedom from everyday tasks lets seniors enjoy life to the fullest. Grand Oaks has its own executive chef, and meals are both delicious and balanced. Your parents can come and go as they please to visit friends, dine, shop, and attend cultural events. Customized personal assistance is available on a regular or “as needed” basis, and nurses are on duty 24 hours a day, so they will have all the care they require. We also offer memory care for residents with Alzheimer’s and other memory-related problems, so you can rest easy knowing there is always someone available to help your parent remember the basics like eating and bathing.
My parents’ situation is unusual: my mom is active and engaged, but my father has early-stage Alzheimer’s. They want to stay together but need assistance. Can you help? Grand Oaks may be the answer for your parents. In addition to assisted living, Grand Oaks offers private suites as part of its Oasis Neighborhood program. The Oasis Neighborhood is a renowned, pioneering approach that creates pleasant days and positive experiences for people with memory disorders. It includes structured daily routines of support and encouragement designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with early, middle, and late-stage memory loss. Specialized care includes compassionate assistance, a life skills program, all meals, medication services, and 24-hour nursing supervision. It is the best of both worlds. The Oasis Neighborhood of Grand Oaks can offer your mom the active and stimulating lifestyle she needs and your dad the personalized care he needs for symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease—either now or in the future.