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Tips For Caregivers On How They Can Stay Healthy
Lisa Reisman • Aug 28, 2019
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Taking Care of Caregivers
As any parent will tell you, caring for children is an exhausting, roller coaster of a full-time job. But when you’re also providing respite care for an aging or sick parent, you can quickly feel both physically and mentally overwhelmed. That’s why caregiver support is such an important topic to discuss for those who find themselves in the “sandwich” generation.
The sandwich generation is a unique group of people providing care for family members who are both younger and older than they are. In fact, almost half of Americans between 40-50 are in this position, according to the Pew Research Center. Today, the challenges for those who find themselves in this position are many.
Between driving to check on a parent in John’s Creek and heading south to pick up the kids from school in Sandy Springs, the cumulative effects of caregiving will take a toll. Beyond fighting the brutal Atlanta traffic, all of this stress and strain also means there’s a good chance you’ll experience caregiver burnout. Due to pride, a sense of obligation, or simply a willingness to help out, caregivers will often overlook their own social, physical and mental needs in order to help their loved ones.
But that’s the problem.
Any expert will tell you that you can’t help anyone unless you help yourself. It’s the same reason why flight attendants tell passengers to first put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. In much the same way, you can’t provide adequate care if you aren’t taking care of yourself. In other words, caregivers must be healthy caregivers because no one can give from an empty cup. Here are a few ways you, as a caregiver, can help yourself stay healthy.
Pay for help.
Whether it means paying for child care, paying people to run errands, or paying for personal care from a company like ours, sometimes it takes dollars to stay healthy.
Make time for yourself.
Do the things you enjoy and give your mind a break. Escape to the Chattahoochee National Recreation Center
and take a break whenever you can in order that you can show up to a loved one’s house feeling refreshed and recharged once again.
Move your body.
Stay active, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and makes sure you are getting the right amount of rest every day. Avoid using too much caffeine, alcohol or prescription medicine improperly.
Give yourself a break.
Many caregivers feel angry, frustrated and ultimately guilty for having these feelings. Try to keep a positive mindset and not “beat yourself up” with negative talk. Writing about your feeling is another tool to help stay positive.
Find like-minded people.
Just in Dunwoody alone, there are support groups
for caregivers where those in this situation can turn to each other and express their feelings. It helps to know that you are not alone.
When to seek professional help.
If you are having trouble coping with your emotions, feel out of control or just too burdened by everything you are experiencing, it’s important you immediately have a discussion with your doctor or a counselor.
Learn about the common symptoms of COVID-19, reasons why older people have a wide variety of symptoms & how to spot early signs of COVID-19 in the elderly.
Learn about the symptoms of COVID-19 & how it spreads. Know the difference between asymptomatic & symptomatic.
Learn why the elderly have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 & why the risks are higher when they have underlying health conditions.
Learn about the signs when your loved one faces comprehension difficulties. Know how a cognitive impairment disease can affect you & your loved ones.
You’ve heard the name many times by now— Coronavirus (or COVID-19) is a disease that’s become so deadly it’s spiraled us into a global pandemic. For those unfamiliar with how it got its name, in COVID-19, 'CO' stands for 'corona,' 'VI' for 'virus,' and 'D' for the disease. According to the CDC, “coronavirus” is actually an umbrella term for a family of viruses that can cause illness in animals or humans.
No matter what age, we all have moments of confusion. But when your elderly loved one is consistently exhibiting these signs, it might be because s/he is undergoing cognitive impairment. Having difficulty comprehending is a common sign these problems; however, it is often brushed aside as "old age." The person experiencing these difficulties may make excuses: the TV shows today are too complicated, their family members talk too fast, the lights are too dim to read. Ignoring the signs of comprehension difficulties, though, just make life harder for everyone involved. Comprehension and Confusion Comprehension is the opposite of confusion. Comprehension is a complex process in the brain through a system of nerves and chemicals, and it involves language, recognition, and function processes. Cognitive impairment disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's disrupt those complex processes. It can manifest as sudden memory loss, impaired motor coordination, and other more subtle thought processes that we will discuss. When someone has difficulty with comprehension, s/he has trouble putting together the various actions needed to perform a task. For example, your mom might need a cup from the cupboard. In order to do so, she must first decide she wants the cup. Then she might need to get out of her chair, walk across the kitchen, raise her hand, open the cupboard, and take the cup out of the cupboard. If she has difficulty with comprehension, she will have a hard time putting all of these elements to work to achieve her goal, which might result in several different outcomes: she could fall, break the cup, or just forget what she was doing before she reaches the cupboard. She knows what she wants to do but has trouble making all the connections necessary to get there. How Cognitive Impairment Affects Your Loved One Difficulty comprehending is frustrating for your elderly loved one and for you, but the first step toward helping your loved one is understanding what s/he is experiencing. Here are some examples of how someone with dementia or Alzheimer's disease might have trouble comprehending everyday situations. TV/books: Someone with dementia might not be able to follow a basic storyline and could not tell somebody else what is going on in the TV show or book. Social situations: Someone with dementia might see two children playing and interpret that they are fighting or vice versa. The person with dementia may step in and try to resolve the situation without realizing what is actually happening. Conversations: As with the TV/book example, someone with dementia can't follow an everyday conversation . S/he doesn't know who or what is being discussed and especially cannot tell when the subject matter has changed. Time: Someone with trouble comprehending will have difficulty telling time and might not know whether it is day or night. How Cognitive Impairment Affects You Because of these comprehension difficulties, the person experiencing dementia or Alzheimer's disease will rely on the people around him/her to tell him/her what is going on. For instance, your loved one may constantly ask you to repeat yourself. S/he may also have trouble following instructions. These situations can be aggravating for you, particularly if they are new, however it is important to understand that your loved one is not trying to bother you by failing to follow directions or asking you to repeat information over and over. These are symptoms of cognitive impairment , and neither you nor they can control it. If your family member begins to exhibit any of these signs, take him or her to your physician with a description of the comprehension difficulties you've noticed so that s/he has plenty of information for a cognitive function assessment. If the doctor diagnoses dementia or Alzheimer's, ask specific questions about treatment so that you can do your part to serve your loved one despite mild cognitive impairment. It is important to get help for your loved one, and there is no reason for you to care for your loved one alone. Caring for an aging relative requires time, patience, and expert care. Complete Care At Home can help you create a customized plan to meet the unique needs of your loved one with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Contact us today for an expert assessment.
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Learn about the Elderly Loved One Being RepetitiveComplete Care At Home has a team of experts to take care of elderly family members.
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