Self-care is very important, especially for someone who may be caring for another person. It may be trite, but the expression “you can’t care for someone else until you care for yourself” really is true. Given the time required to care for another person, though, it is certainly understandable how self-neglect can occur.
Try your best to see a health care provider regularly, even if that means scheduling time for yourself when you take your loved one to his or her appointments. If scheduled appropriately, you could make back-to-back appointments with the same provider to get the check-up you need.
Practice preventive care. There are many recommendations for preventive health care, such as screenings and immunizations, that may reduce your need to see a health care provider. These recommendations are based on age and you should be able to get a list of these from your health care provider. However, organizations such as Medicare publish a list of such recommendations. Their website might be a good place to start: www.medicare.gov/Health/Overview.asp.
Self-care handbooks. Libraries and bookstores have many handbooks about how to take better care of yourself. While these books are not meant to replace the advice of your health care provider, they may help answer some of the day-to-day medical questions you have.
When selecting one of these books, look for a few things:
- Author. Is the person writing/editing the book qualified to dispense the information it contains ( i.e., MD, DO, RN, RPh, RD, PhD, etc.)?
- Source. Who is the sponsor of the book or the information being given? Ford doesn’t sell GM products and GM doesn’t sell Fords. Often companies have a vested interest in the information being provided.
- Date. Is the publication date recent? Medical advances happen every day and information may become outdated quickly.
- Options. Does the book provide levels of information, such as prevention, signs and symptoms, home treatment and when to seek professional medical help?
For more information, visit: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HE018
