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.
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.
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.
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.
For almost a year now you’ve been taking care of your aging in place elderly father. But trying to balance caregiving with your own job and household is starting to wear you down. In fact, it’s now reached a point where your kids and boss are starting to complain that you’re not giving them the attention they deserve. If things don’t change, dad’s health and wellbeing, along with your own, could be placed in jeopardy.
Providing care for an aging in place elderly parent is difficult and time-consuming under any circumstances. But when an adult child lives several hours away, those long-distance caregiving responsibilities can push their stress level to the breaking point.
You’ve started questioning your caregiving approach, and feel your emotional “fuse” getting shorter and shorter. It feels like one of these days your temper is going to explode, and you know that you’ll regret it afterwards. What should you do? Here are some effective ways to diffuse caregiver anger before it causes a serious blowup.
Every year, millions of family members serve as caregivers for elderly loved ones who are aging in place at home, usually a parent. But the physical and emotional demands of caregiving can become overwhelming, especially when the senior’s health is in decline. Over time, stress can cause caregiver fatigue, notably if the caregiver has their own household to manage.
