When giving care, there may be many things that you will need to do that you have never done before. What duties and activities may involve family and non-family caregiving duties, and what are the requirements for providing personal and comfort care? On a day-to-day basis, caregivers may be responsible for most comfort care and personal care. Personal caregiving activities include helping with unassisted things the patient can no longer do.

Primary caregiver duties could include:

Bathing and grooming- laundry and assisting with dressing- food shopping and prep- light housekeeping- managing medications- transportation- mobility assistance and emotional assistance- communicating with doctors and monitoring medications.

Meals:

What special diet is required, or are special preparations necessary to make food more accessible to swallow? People tend to favour specific items, so go with them. Now is not the time to worry about fat-free or eating enough broccoli.

Meals are something that friends and family are often happy to help with. If they provide them in disposable containers, that would be beneficial, too.

Clothing:

Washable, with no iron, easy to access and off items, make life more enjoyable.

Communication:

Cell phones, tablets, and computers have made communication even more effortless if everyone can use them.