Ten Commandments for Caregivers

1. Assist the older person to retain their autonomy and self respect.
   
2. Respect the older person - they got this far on their own.
   
3. Be generous with love and loving touch.
   
4. Communicate your level of capability not as a complaint; share decision-making.
   
5. Be empathetic to growing older and the losses involved with that process.
   
6. Be prepared-know your options for situations you anticipate.
   
7. Be informed abut the older person's challenges.
   
8. Know your limits-identify your support system.
   
9. Maintain a healthy sense of humor-some things can be laughed about together.
   
10. Don't feel guilty - no one person is expected to do it all!

These Eldercare pages are brought to you by: Nebraska's Area Agencies on Aging