8 unselfish acts caregivers should do for aging parents

Caregivers are the unsung heroes of society. In order to keep health and sanity in check, caregivers should adopt these eight unselfish acts while caring for an aging parent.

Time is precious. A caregiver must give on average 20 hours per week to care for an ailing parent, often while in a full-time job. Putting their lives on pause to nurture a loved one is one of the most unselfish acts caregivers perform.

There is no half-way in with caregiving. Caregivers must commit to the role wholeheartedly despite having inherited the position. Caregivers who put their hearts into it, find the role significantly easier than if they were to treat it as a job.

Caregivers must be sensitive to changes in their parents' health, often manifested in the form of depression, weight loss and changes in mobility. Observant caregivers are more likely to identify critical health issues before they lead to a crisis.

Many caregivers carry resentment from unresolved childhood experiences with a parent, and these feelings can interfere with the role of caring. Caregivers who recognize that there is no greater honour than to take care of those who first took care of them can freely exercise charity without malice.

Since caregivers often have to care for the hygiene needs of parents, humility is demanded of them. Helping parents with toileting needs, dental hygiene and other unglamourous acts often require adjustments in thinking. Preserving their parent's dignity in these times is a true selfless act.

Most caregivers have at least one ailing parent that requires special nutrition and timely doses of medication. Parents with health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or Alzheimer's must have an organized schedule to prevent health emergencies.

Caregivers must guard against laziness, taking up the mantle to manage the business affairs of their aging parents. Often caregivers assume the role of executor, making decisions on personal property matters on behalf of parents.

Parents who can no longer take care of their daily needs, who have had fire scares, falls, and suffered from depression cannot be left alone at home. Knowing when to seek professional help is important to the well-being of the parent as well as the caregiver. Support can come from health officials and senior living communities who can help avert some of life's inevitable crises.