Most family caregivers are amazing people that devote their lives to caring for aging in place elderly loved ones. But caregiving can also be very stressful and exhausting, especially when you throw in a traumatic event like the COVID-19 outbreak.
As a family caregiver, looking out for your mental health and wellbeing is just as important as taking physical precautions. When you don’t, it leaves you exposed to emotional stress and mental fatigue. What follows are several ways to ensure that your mental health remains strong through the inevitable ups and downs.
Caring for an aging loved one can be overwhelming even during the best of times. Here are several ways to stay more positive when things aren’t going quite so well.
The deadly disease known as coronavirus, or “COVID-19”, first reared its ugly head back in December. COVID-19 has so far infected more than 340,000 people worldwide and the U.S. is seeing hundreds of newly confirmed cases every day.
Our clients and their family members are justifiably concerned given the particular impact of coronavirus on older adults. We want to assure you that we have taken the following steps to help our clients:
Millions of Americans care for an aging in place elderly family member, usually a parent or grandparent. Since most also manage a household and job, those added caregiving responsibilities can be stressful and overwhelming at times. If you currently find yourself in this position, caring for yourself is important so you don’t develop caregiver fatigue.
As the calendar moves into January, it’s common to think about New Year’s resolutions. If you’re a family caregiver who’s looking after an aging in place senior, making a list of caregiving resolutions can help you more efficiently balance your responsibilities with a household, spouse, children and job.
The holidays can be a hectic time of year, but when you’re trying to make all those last-minute preparations while also looking after an aging in place elderly loved one, you can find yourself feeling completely overwhelmed. Being a member of the “sandwich generation” during the holidays can ratchet up your stress level to the point that it places your health and wellbeing at risk.
Serving as a family caregiver for an aging in place elderly loved one is highly rewarding, but it can also be very hectic and exhausting at times. As a result, it’s not uncommon for a family caregiver to start developing negative feelings towards the senior they’re caring for. If those emotions are not promptly addressed, they can not only adversely affect a caregiver’s health and wellbeing, but also that of their loved one. Fortunately, working through negative feelings as a caregiver is possible by taking these steps.
For the past 6 months, you’ve been taking care of your aging in place elderly mother. Your siblings live nearby but so far, they’ve been “MIA” when it comes to mom’s care. At first everything was going well, but now you’re starting to feel the stress of being a primary caregiver who’s also juggling a part-time job and household. Fortunately, there are several reliable ways to involve your siblings in a loved one’s care, starting with these.
