Our families are among one of the most important parts of our life. Although our health and individual needs should come first, you can always rely on family for support and help when you need it. They are the support network that will always help you no matter what you are dealing with.
On this note, it is important to always be there for your loved ones. Maintaining family relationships and offering help-in-hand to those that need it is such an important cycle of family life. If you have people in your family that need extra support and guidance, then here are some ideas on how to help them and improve their quality of life.
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Sign them up for additional help
Although you will want to be the one who supports your loved ones through any issue they are dealing with, sometimes it is best to seek additional support from experts. Expert help can aid them in quicker recovery. Likewise, it can take a load off of your commitments so that you can be there for them in other ways.
For instance, you might have a family member that is dealing with memory loss due to dementia or Alzheimer’s. Signing your loved one up for services such as memory care can help them find a long-term solution to help improve their impairments. You can find great services on https://catholiccarecenter.org/memory-care/ to start their journey and help them maintain or improve their cognitive problems.
The more support you get for them, the better they can feel both physically and mentally. You will still be able to offer them as much support as you want. But, the extra help can aid them in more efficient recovery or help improve their overall quality of life.
Use medication reminder apps
Another essential tip for helping a loved one in need is to ensure that they take their medication. Whether you or they have memory issues, reminders will make sure that medicaiton is not missed. Some loved ones may require medication at certain points of the day, which cannot be missed. Therefore, increasing the certainty that you/they will not forget the medication is essential for their health.
Moreover, alongside the app, it can be useful to create a medication routine. This could involve practicing the times of day that the medication needs to be taken. For instance, you could implement a ritual whereby a meal cannot be consumed until the medication has been taken. Plus, you could position the medication in a certain place, which the loved one (or you) always notices throughout the day, which will work as an extra reminder.
Offer open communication
Some loved ones may not be dealing with physical health issues but mental health issues. Therefore, it is important to always offer support and advice to those who are suffering from anxiety, stress, and more.
Offering open communication will ensure that your loved one will talk to you about their problems, which can help you help them find a solution. If they bottle up their issues and emotions, then it will be difficult for you to find them the right help.
To enhance the openness among your communication it will help to be open with them first. The more open you are, the more encouraged they might be to share their own thoughts and feelings. They will understand that you are trustworthy and willing to make yourself vulnerable. Hence, they will want to offer you the same.
The more open a loved one is with you about their health issues, the more support and help you can offer or find them.
Be patient
Your loved one might struggle to open up or they might be going through something that can take some time to improve, such as grief. If this is the case, then it is a good idea to be patient with them. The more you push them, the more frustrated they might become. This could lead to worsening the issue or cause them to lack trust in you.
The more patience you offer, the more inclined they will feel to come to you for help. Although it might take them some time to open up or ask for help, they will ask when they need it. It is important that everyone has someone to turn to when they are dealing with physical/mental health issues. Hence, being that person can ensure that your loved one always has someone to trust and talk to.
Offer them distractions
Should your loved one have an addiction or emotional state that worsens with a lack of distraction, then it will help if you offer them a distraction.
For instance, you could:
Schedule a daily walk. This will help them get out of the house, take their mind off of the issue, and have something to look forward to. Sometimes health issues or addictions can get worse due to a lack of routine. Hence, a walk can implement a routine, which can help them become distracted from whatever they are going through.
Encourage them to start a new hobby. Your loved one might lack the motivation to find and practice a hobby. If so, then encouraging them to start one by signing them up or joining in with them could ensure that they have something to distract them from their issue.
Increase communication. Should your loved one see an improvement in their health with more communication, then ensure to increase your communication channel with them. This will ensure that they have someone to turn to when they feel low and that they can distract themselves instead of feeling lonely.
Reduce family friction
A loved one might be dealing with family issues, such as divorce or disputes. If so, then it is a good idea to be non-biased yet offer them a solution to reduce the family friction. This could mean getting involved yourself. If you do get involved, it is important to do so carefully so that you do not make the friction worse.
Reducing family friction and resolving issues can improve your family dynamic and ensure that everyone in the family is happy and healthy.
Know their weaknesses
No matter what your loved one is going through, it is a good idea to acknowledge and know their weakness. This could mean understanding when a previous drug user is about to relapse. Knowing their weaknesses and signs could help you prevent them from hindering their health. Hence, you can be a support system that they need to ensure that they maintain good health.
Likewise, understanding when your loved one is not feeling good and offering them something to cheer them up can help improve their happiness. Although they might still be dealing with a health issue, making sure that they feel as happy as possible is essential.
Implement more exercise
Everyone needs exercise, no matter if they are a child or elderly. Hence, it is a great idea to support your loved ones through encouraging exercise.
You could organize classes so that you can exercise together, which will ensure that everyone takes part. This means everyone can have an accountability partner to make sure that they do not avoid essential daily exercise.
Should you want to lead a mass family exercise group, then you could so through virtual calls. Scheduling a time that works for everyone will make sure that everyone can take part and partake in regular exercise, which is essential for optimal health.
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