How to Become a Caregiver for a Family Member

If you have an aging or ailing loved one, you may wonder how to become a caregiver for that family member. It’s simpler than you may think (in fact, you might already be a caregiver and not yet know it). In this article, we will explore what a family caregiver is, what tasks they may handle, and how to become one step by step. We’ll also share some resources that are available to you as you provide care. Let’s dive in.

What is a Family Caregiver?

A family caregiver is someone who provides unpaid care to a loved one. This loved one may be sick, injured, elderly, or have a disability.

You are officially a family caregiver if you are a child, parent, friend, neighbor, or partner to a person who is in one of the aforementioned categories and you provide unpaid care in one of the following ways:

Aiding with activities of daily living (ADL). Activities of Daily Living tasks may include self-care, household chores, running errands on their behalf, help with mobility, etc.
Emotional support and companionship. You may be responsible for supporting your loved ones emotional health or offering them mental support through things like visits, phone calls, and welfare checks.
Managing injections or medical equipment/monitors. Adults now live longer and tend to have shorter hospital stays, meaning that a lot of what would have been follow up nursing care falls on loved ones at home.
Providing financial care.
And more

Family caregivers come in all shapes and sizes, and aren’t always necessarily a part of the family. You may have a loved one who came to live with you because independence wasn’t sustainable in their current condition. You may find yourself cleaning or cooking for a neighbor who can no longer handle it themselves, or supporting your spouse after a stroke, for example.

How to Become a Caregiver for a Family Member: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you have a family member in need of care and you have stepped up to the plate to support them and their life, you are already a family caregiver. But if you’re unsure if you’re ready to take that step, we’ll walk you through how to become a caregiver for a family member using this step-by-step guide.

Evaluate Your Ability to Provide Care

The first step is to evaluate your ability to provide care to your loved one. Consider things like:

The amount of time your loved ones care requires. Do they need live-in help? Would assistance with errands once a week suffice? Or are their needs manageable now but you expect that will change over time?
The amount of time you have available (realistically). Consider your current obligations and needs. Do you have the time their care will require? Consider things like your job, children, volunteer commitments, and personal needs.
The support you have. Becoming a family caregiver for your loved one doesn’t mean you need to do everything alone, nor that you should. Consider where you can supplement help if there’s a gap between the amount of time your loved one needs from you and the amount of time you have available for them. You can fill gaps through professional services like respite care or through help from other members of your family or neighbors.
Your mental capacity. Becoming a family caregiver is a heavy mental weight to bear. If you already feel that you are on the edge of burnout, or have existing anxiety, depression, or fear that providing care will trigger you to fall into old patterns of that nature, don’t ignore that.

If you feel obligated to provide care regardless, consider a proactive approach to preventative mental health care. Supporting them shouldn’t come at the cost of you – don’t forget to consider your own needs too.

Develop a Care Plan

Next, you’ll need to develop a care plan with input from your loved ones medical care team, the loved one in need of care, and any other family members or friends who will be stepping in to help alongside you. Click here for a step-by-step guide to creating a care plan.

Build a Care Team

Next, consider your care team. Whether or not you want to be the primary family caregiver is a choice you’ll need to make, but regardless of how you sway on that decision, there are others out there who will be happy to support you.

Beyond your own family and friends, review the “Get Support as a Caregiver: Resources Available for Family Caregivers in California” section below for additional tools and resources.

Learn and Build Your Caregiving Skills

Finally, family caregiving comes with no manual and no formal training. There will undoubtedly be skills you’ll need to harness that you don’t currently have.

One of the best things you can do in preparing to become a family caregiver is to learn and research like you’re doing now with articles like these. The California Caregiver Resource Centers are a network of 11 Centers across the state that offer information and connections that can help you navigate this part of your journey.

Get Support as a Caregiver: What Resources are Available for Family Caregivers in California?

If you provide unpaid care for a loved one with no formal education or training, there are resources available in the state of California to make your life a little simpler. Let’s walk through how to connect with some:

Local Caregiver-Oriented Nonprofits
There are many nonprofit organizations like the California Caregiver Resource Centers that offer a wide array of services, including assistance with finding financial grants or relief, assistance with finding respite care, or assistance connecting you with other available resources.
CareNav™
CareNav™ is an online service that connects family caregivers with resources customized to fit their situations. Every situation is different, and CareNav is designed to help you with your specific case.
Your Loved One’s Medical Care Team
Your loved one’s primary care physician (PCP), hospital/emergency doctors, or specialists can help connect you with information, resources, and more specific to your situation and your loved ones condition.
Ailment-Specific Nonprofits
In addition to local caregiver-focused organizations, there are also nonprofits targeting specific ailments or diseases.

These organizations can be invaluable in providing information, cutting edge research, and additional resources that more generic organizations may not be familiar with.
Join Support Groups
Support groups for family caregivers can be incredibly useful, especially when you have found yourself tossed into the throes of caregiving and feel alone.

A support group gives you a group of people who understands exactly how you’re feeling and what you’re going through in a way that many people in your current real life may not.

Closing Thoughts: How to Become a Caregiver for a Family Member

If you have a loved one in need of care and want to step into the role, you have chosen a selfless and rewarding journey alongside millions of others in our country. We are here to support you as you venture into this role.

If want help finding resources for a family caregiver in your life, the California Caregiver Resource Centers are here to support you. We are a non-profit network of 11 Centers that support caregivers across the state of California. Every county in the state is covered.