Caregivers Need Care Too: Tips on Managing Caregiver Stress
“That 20 minute walk in the fresh air with my best friend was just what I needed.”
“At lunch I turn off my phone and email and shut the door. Then I close my eyes and enjoy the quiet for 15 minutes. It’s wonderful.”
Just 15-20 minutes here and there each day when you can focus on yourself will make a world of difference in managing your caregiver stress. According to a new Home Instead Senior Care survey, 55 percent of the family caregivers that eventually employed their professional caregiving services appeared to have above average or significant levels of stress as they came on board. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
These tips are recommended while taking care of an aging loved one:
- Work out: Exercise and enjoy something you like to do (walking, dancing, biking, running, swimming, etc.) for a minimum of 20 minutes at least three times per week. Consider learning a stress-management exercise such as yoga or tai-chi, which teach inner balance and relaxation.
- Meditate: Sit still and breathe deeply with your mind as “quiet” as possible whenever things feel like they are moving too quickly or you are feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities as a caregiver. Many times you will feel like you don’t even have a minute to yourself, but it’s important to walk away and to take that minute.
- Ask for help: According to a national survey by Home Instead Senior Care of adults who are currently providing care for an aging loved one, 72 percent do so without any outside help. To avoid burnout and stress, you can enlist the help of other family members and friends, and/or consider hiring a professional non-medical caregiver for assistance. There is no need to feel guilty for reaching out.
- Take a break: Make arrangements for any necessary fill-in help (family, friends, volunteers or professional caregivers). Take single days or even a week’s vacation. And when you’re away, stay away. Talk about different things, read that book you haven’t been able to get to, take naps, whatever relaxes you and makes you happy.
- Eat well: Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, including nuts and beans, and whole grains. Indulging in caffeine, fast food and sugar as quick “pick-me-ups” also produce a quick “let-down.”
- Keep your medical appointments. Make sure you get your annual check-up. Being a caregiver provides many excuses for skipping your necessary check-ups, but don’t do it. A healthy you is worth more to your aging loved one than a sick, weak you.
- Indulge: Treat yourself to a foot massage, manicure, nice dinner out or a concert to take yourself away from the situation and to reward yourself for the wonderful care you are providing to your aging relative. You shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to feel good.
- Support: Find a local caregiver support group. They will help you understand that what you are feeling and experiencing is normal. This is a place to get practical advice from people who are in your situation and to bounce off those feelings of stress, since everyone is likely to be in the same situation and can empathize.
As Virginia Morris puts it in her book, How to Care for Aging Parents, it’s important for you to take part in “indulgent necessities.” Everyone needs some pampering occasionally, for both physical and mental health. So don’t feel guilty if you treat yourself once in a while…you deserve it and you need it.
For more information or to get answers to your questions, please contact your local Home Instead Senior Care office in The Greater Phoenix, AZ area. We can be reached — anytime day or night – by calling 602.588.7725. You can also reach us via email at education@homeinstead.com
Tags: Caregiver, Elder Care, In Home Senior Care
CPTSD can also occur in caregivers of severely disabled or autistic persons who exhibit intracable, prolonged, extreme self-injurious or assaultive behaviors. Witnessing repeated acts of such complex, high risk behaviors, where the person must constantly protect the other person is classic CPTSD, in a situation that is episodic, chronic and acute. It is one of the most undereported conditions facing families raising disabled children with extreme, challenging behaviors which require constant emergency interventions. The constant state of emergency and pressure of providing safety is what leads to CPTSD in primary caregivers. It is also seen in caregivers of dementia patients, who are without relief or respite care. Incessant or disruptive vocalizations often exacerbate the stress loads on caregivers of aging parents with dementia, further contributing to CPTSD, as auditory overload, insult factors. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
[...] you are a sole caregiver it’s important that you avoid burnout and stress. You must take care of your health or you won’t be any good to the person for whom you are [...]