Five Tips for Long-Distance Caregiving

When you are the caretaker of someone, it is a responsibility you carry with you everywhere you go. You usually can’t always be there for the person you are taking care of, but it is especially difficult when you are long-distance caregiving. Not being able to physically check in on a daily basis, let alone a weekly or monthly basis, can create stress and obstacles, which is why we put together five tips for long-distance caregiving.

Tip 1: Stay Informed When You Are Long-Distance Caregiving

While showing you trust and respect the individuality of the person you are caring for is important, it is also important to be informed with their life and sometimes that means making the extra call. Personally checking in with all of their healthcare providers, insurance providers and other facilities, such as their HOA or landlord, are good ways to go the extra mile.

Tip 2: Make Sure They’re Prepared

It is vital to make sure the person you are caring for is prepared when emergency strikes. Networking in their community and then creating a contact list of neighbors, people who attend the same church and other community figures could prove to be very helpful in a time of need. In addition to community members, add medical contacts to the list. 

Tip 3: Make Your Visits Count

If you’re long-distance caregiving, when you finally do get to make that visit you need to make it count. Plan ahead with the person you're caring for to make sure this is a productive visit. Scheduling appointments, putting a shopping list together and creating time to handle persistent issues can all be done ahead of time. Being prepared also allows you to have extra time to handle anything that wasn’t foreseen or to just enjoy each other’s company.

Tip 4: When Long-Distance Caregiving You Must Check-In Often

Creating a regimen, contacting others and making visits count are great, but making sure you are very present in the life of the person you are caring for is essential. Sometimes the daily few minute chat isn’t enough. Really talk to the person you are caring for, find out how they are feeling, you never know what you’ll discover or you might just make their day by taking the time.

Tip 5: Don’t Make Long-Distance Caregiving a One Person Job

In addition to family members, community members and professionals, sometimes you just need that extra help when long-distance caregiving. We recommend you look into a personal emergency response system. It is a great option for long-distance caregivers for many reasons, but by far the number one reason is that they create a safe and stress-free environment for the person you are caring for.

For more information or to purchase a CareLink® product, please call (844) 818-2356 or fill out the form and one of our knowledgeable support staff members will contact you shortly.  

Learn about the CareLink® Numera – An innovative home medical alert system. 

Looking for articles like this? Check out How to Talk to Your Elderly Parents as You Become the Caretaker.