If you are responsible for assisting an aging parent or family member with daily life activities, it is easy to feel like you have lost some of your freedom and sense of self. While getting frustrated and feeling stressed occasionally is perfectly normal for someone responsible for the care of an elderly family member, recognizing the signs of when you need to seek help can help prevent unintentional abuse.
What can I do to alleviate caregiver stress?
- Ask for help. You do not need to be the only caregiver. If your family will not help, seek outside help from social support services, respite care programs, your local church or senior center. Even the help of prepared and delivered meals can alleviate a lot of day to day work, thus reducing stress.
- Learn your triggers. What situations when caring for your elder family member cause you to experience the most stress, or lose your temper the fastest? Learn ways to avoid the trigger, or to refocus yourself when the trigger happens.
- Learn why the elder you care for exhibits stressful behaviors and how to better handle those behaviors. Often dementia or Alzheimer’s patients may exhibit frustrating or stressful behavior, and a professional can help you understand and redirect the behaviors when they happen.
- Meet other caregivers that you can connect and socialize with. Caregivers that build a support network of other caregivers often are less stressed, as they have a compassionate person to discuss the challenges of their situations with.
- Eat healthy, stay active and get solid rest. The healthier you are, the less likely it is that stress will become out of control.
- Hire help. If your caregiving situation prevents you from having downtime, eating properly, exercising or getting a solid night of sleep each night, it is time to bring in professional help. Check with your social services and insurance company to see what help is available.
