Caregiver multitasking requires the successful juggling of many different tasks.  At some point, everyone has had to do some juggling or multitasking in their lives.  At work, as a parent or spouse, or even in social situations, we all have to keep up with several things at once.  When you are a caregiver, this can be even more challenging.

Multitasking With Caregiving Alone

As a caregiver, everything you do is a juggling act and that’s just with your loved one!  You are the person who keeps track of everything so that when your loved one needs help, you are ready to step in.

You keep track of appointments and notes.  You have pages of information on things the doctor said or information they’ve given you.

You maintain medication names, dosages, and changes.  You’ve had countless conversations with nursing and pharmacy staff.  Your knowledge includes not only the name brand but the generic name of many medications.

If the poop hits the fan, you have all the information you need to make medical decisions for your loved one.  You can produce legal documents, copies of files, and test results at the snap of a finger.

You’re a taxi driver, maid, chef, and home nurse.  On top of that, you offer emotional and physical support as your loved one trudges their way through the transplant journey.

Juggling So Many More Balls

Suffice it to say that most people who are family caregivers do not do it as a full-time job.  Sure, you have the one ball that is caregiving, but there’s so much more.  And, I said above, you can hardly qualify caregiving as one single ball.  But only a fraction of the people who are caregivers are not working.  With that said, even fewer are able to pay someone to be a caregiver in their stead.

Let’s say you are the parent of a person going through a transplant.  You work, are active in your community, have a spouse or partner, and have other children or grandchildren.  Perhaps you also help with the care of your own parents.  That itty bitty list just added six more balls to your juggling act (impressive!).  How in the world do you keep from dropping any one of those balls?

I think about all the balls my mom had in the air while I was waiting for my transplant.  She was retired (thank goodness) but there were still so many things going on.  Caring for me, spending time with her husband, being there for my kids, and updating family were all in the mix.  On top of that, she was helping to care for my grandparents, one of whom was in memory care.  Not to brag (OK, maybe a little), but my mom is pretty awesome.  I know that she couldn’t have done it all if it weren’t for her ability to compartmentalize.

A New Kind of Caregiver

You have the technology (and capability).  You can be better, stronger, faster (imagine the Six Million Dollar Man theme song starting here).  Alright, so you won’t be bionic, but with some of these tips, you can be better, stronger, and faster.  Mentally and emotionally anyway.  Compartmentalizing is a big piece of keeping all those balls in the air (and all your hair in your head).

A Better Caregiver

By compartmentalizing, you allow yourself to focus on one thing at a time.  Start with the item that is most pressing at any given moment and put your focus there.  Try not to think about anything else that might be coming up in the future.  When you are at work, focus on work, dinner if you’re making dinner, and caregiving when you’re caregiving.

When you feel yourself getting distracted, bring yourself back to the task at hand.  Multitasking is not something anyone can do with any real success.  In fact, there are studies that show that multi-tasking is a myth.  Most often, when someone refers to multitasking, they are referring to task-switching.  This is where you do one thing at a time, but then quickly change to something else.  Nobody can do more than one thing at a time (well, you can, but each one of the things you are doing will not be at 100%).

A Stronger Caregiver

I’m referring to emotional strength here.  Compartmentalizing is great to help you control different aspects of your life.  The important thing to focus on is not losing sight of yourself in the process.  Do you find yourself withdrawing?  If so, perhaps it’s time to reach out to a friend, family member, or other support people for a little help.

Practice patience with yourself and your loved one.  Neither of you is in an ideal situation and you both need a little grace when you fall or make a mistake.  Everyone has thoughts of inadequacy or failure, and it’s important to acknowledge those feelings.  But then remind yourself that you are doing your best and let those feelings and thoughts go.

Try using visualization to manage your tasks.  For instance, imagine you are walking down a hallway of rooms.  Each of your tasks has its own room.  So, let’s say you are sitting in a meeting at work.  You find yourself distracted and anxious about a procedure your loved one has next week.  Make sure you put that procedure in a room down the hall, not in the room you are now.  Close that door and only open it when it’s time to deal with it.

A Faster Caregiver

Again, I’m not talking about your bionic abilities.  You won’t actually be any faster, but you can be more efficient.  Use your calendar (for long-term tasks) or a timer (for short-term tasks).  When you leave work at the end of the day, that task is complete and is down the hall in another room for tomorrow.

Technology can be very useful in this case.  There’s a phone app for just about anything you can think of.  Use them to your advantage.  Keep appointments in your calendar.  Put all your loved one’s medications in a medication tracker.  Manage self-care with relaxation, exercise, and hydration apps.  Use your phone to type in quick notes for items you need to take care of that are not part of your current task.

Not technology-minded?  No problem!  Keep a small notebook for notes and medications and a paper calendar for daily tasks.  Egg timers and alarm clocks can be useful too.  Set an egg timer to take 20 minutes for some stretching and deep breathing.  Use an alarm clock as a reminder to switch to the next item on your list.

Whether you use hand-written tools or technology, any system will improve your efficiency.

Caregiver Juggling Successes

When you are working from to-do lists and calendars, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture.  Take a few minutes each day to jot down or review the successes you had in the last day.  Try to come up with at least three things you accomplished.  Starting with success will help fuel you for the day ahead.

Finally, take some time to be grateful each day.  Everyone knows that a transplant patient is going through some tough times.  What is often overlooked is the toll this takes on their caregiver.  One of the best ways to keep your spirits up is to look at all the things you have to be grateful for.  Your own health, your family, your friends, and your community.  Heck, even the bond you are building with your loved one is something to be grateful for.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Even though it may seem like nobody knows all you do, I see you.  Your patient’s doctors and nurses see you, and even if they don’t say it, your loved one sees you too.  Keep going, we all appreciate you!