Common Caregiver Tasks for the Occasional or Intermittent Caregiver

Occasional or Intermittent Caregiving is often the most silent type of caregiving.

Someone requires a bit of additional help and usually a family member squeezes it into their schedule and doesn’t even think about it as caregiving.

Like... picking up a few things for Mom at the grocery store.

For the different types of caregiving check out our blog called: Phases of Caregiving.

Each caregiving situation is unique. Nevertheless, there are some more common tasks that could be beneficial to consider who could be called upon to help with a task. Maybe it’s you, but maybe it’s something someone else can do.

When you do become a caregiver it can be really hard to ask for help. But asking for help can make a big difference in your life and importantly in your loved one’s life.

With intermittent caregiving it’s really easy to not even recognize you are doing caregiving. And therefore not even thinking about asking for help.

If you can slowly build a network of help now, it’s easier to ask for help when caregiving begins to take more time.

Having a list handy of occasional things your loved one might require help with and who you can ask for help from can alleviate some of your stress.

Below are some common tasks that several intermittent caregivers face.

At the bottom of the blog post there is a PDF version of the list and it includes a column for naming some individuals who could handle specific tasks.

Because in the moment it can be hard to think who can help so you end up doing it.

By having a list ready to go you can proactively reach out to others for help.

For example: “Hi Sister, Mom has a Dr. appointment at the end of month and I have a work deadline would you be able to take her?”

When you think about adding people to the list, try to think of their strengths.

For example: If someone is reserved, having them call or text family providing updates may not be the right fit. But taking Grandma to a routine appointment, perfect.

I will admit in my family we haven’t done a good job with pairing tasks to people’s strengths in the past. It was much more the random and chaotic pairing.

In listening to Jennifer Fink’s podcast called Fading Memories, she mentioned paring the task to the right person. Seeing I loved to be organized, I created a common task list and people placements pdf for you and for me when I require it again in the future.

Use the ones that fit your situation, skip any that don’t apply and add your own.

If multiple people are stepping in as occasional caregivers. It best to have a point person who is coordinating rides or meals for example. And decide how that point person is going to notify people of updates.

It could be as simple as a shared google doc.

Depending on their situation they may not be hungry for a regular meals or they might have trouble making a meal. Having meals or snacks dropped off occasionally from friends or family can be a great dual benefit for your loved one. They get to visit with others and have the bonus of some snacks or meals that is easy for them to eat.

When asking for or getting meals/snacks keep in mind any dietary restrictions.

Maybe they still want to make their meals and just need a little bit of assistance getting groceries. This can be done several ways and mostly likely it will be combination of ways.

You or someone else could pick up groceries, on your regular grocery shopping run.

You and your loved one could order groceries on-line, most stores have some options now. (This option is great when the weather is either too hot or too cold.)

You or someone else could take your loved one to the grocery store. (This is probably the most time consuming option, but the best option for retaining their independence for as long as possible)

Mail order prescriptions are gaining in popularity but sometimes there are still meds to be picked up at the pharmacy.

This is one of those items that is great to assign to someone who is already picking up their own prescriptions at the same pharmacy and is willing to drop off your loved ones meds.

Depending on their mental processing ability they might be able to set up their own pills, but there might come a time when they require assistance. Having someone (usually a family member at first) who is detail oriented is a great person to ask to help with this task.

Knowing who is willing to take someone to appointments can be a huge help. And this is something that could easily be spread around a few people.

Even if they still drive, having someone pick them and take them to a fun or family event is a good way for them to focus their energy for the event and not have to worry about becoming too tired to drive home.

Dealing with Insurance, Finances and / or schedules can be frustrating for anyone let alone someone who is starting to require some care. If you can figure out who is doing what before it is needed it can save a lot of time and headaches down the line.

Technology is constantly changing. Making sure they can continue to interact with people and possible their own house it important. This is were the younger generations can often help out a lot. But make a point to ask them first, if they are willing to be tech support before you just have Grandma call them.

As they encounter frustrations on things that used to be easy for them it can help to do some minor updates. Like reorganizing or reconfiguring their cabinets might solve some issues.

Now, they might not tell you right away something is harder for them. So pay attention to unassuming clues based on their language (“That’s too high”, “my shoulder is acting up today”, “ My fingers aren’t working like they used too” )

Also pay attention to what they ask you to get for them things in (base cabinets or high cabinets or getting something from another floor in the house)

I wrote a whole blog on dishes and my learning from it that ties directly to this task. Read that blog called A Dish Lesson

There are probably more items that could be included, but this list is meant to get you started. The PDF has lots of blanks rows for you to add your specific required tasks.

Occasional Caregiver Tasks PDF