COVID-19 cases in nursing facilities and assisted living facilities were devastating, as the virus spread like wildfire throughout our most vulnerable population in such close quarters. Because of this, many families made a decision to move their elderly parents home, which raised a number of challenges to be overcome.
Respite Care
Understanding and Managing Compassion Fatigue
Caregivers dedicate so much of themselves to the ones they care for – both emotionally and physically. It’s common to become wiped out and to start to experience feelings like indifference, exhaustion, and a withdrawal from the person in your care. Referred to as compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, it can be detrimental to your own wellbeing but can also influence your ability to be as nurturing, warm, and caring as you should be for the person you’re caring for.
Tips for Reducing Family Caregiver Stress
Family caregiver stress is inescapable, and in reality, not necessarily always a bad thing. Basically, as they say, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” Yet especially for family caregivers, the level of stress can rapidly escalate and become overwhelming, and if not handled effectively, result in serious health concerns.
Helpful Steps for Relieving Family Caregiver Guilt
Family caregivers give a tremendous amount of themselves to take care of their loved ones, frequently giving up their own desires and needs along the way. It may seem normal, then, to presume that caregivers would feel great about themselves, with a high level of self-esteem and sense of purpose.
You’re Doing Your Best: Tips for Managing Caregiver Guilt
A lot of us are trying to juggle numerous assorted responsibilities, and for family caregivers, it can feel similar to juggling flaming swords and knives. It’s natural for family members to become overloaded and to experience feelings of caregiver guilt when wanting to provide the best care for a member of the family. Guilt … Read more
My Loved One Needs Professional Help at Home. So, What’s Next?
You’re beginning to become concerned that Dad may possibly be in need of some professional help at home, and so obviously, you know just where to go for assistance, right? No? Take heart – you aren’t alone. Millions of people in the U.S. are facing the same predicament, and most people don’t know a lot about home care services until the need for care arises.
Contact us online or call us at (512) 338-4533 for professional home care services.
The Benefits of Respite Care Services for Family Caregivers
Meeting the care needs of an elderly or disabled loved one is a physically and emotionally strenuous responsibility, and it’s vital for family caregivers to take routine breaks to rest and relax. These are the benefits of respite care. Respite care services provide relief from the everyday duties of caregiving, allowing family caregivers to also care for themselves.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late! Learn How Respite Care Services Alleviate Family Caregiver Burnout
Caregiving for an aging loved one, though incredibly fulfilling, can also cause family caregiver burnout. The 24/7 pressure of taking care of a loved one’s needs can rapidly escalate to a high level of stress which can lead to a loss of patience and emotionally charged outbursts, affecting not just the caregiver personally, but his/her senior loved one as well.
What to Do When Seniors Experience Dementia Confusion
Dementia confusion, a typical occurrence in Alzheimer’s, can lead to recent memories being forgotten about or distorted, while memories from the more distant past usually remain unimpaired. This can cause prior periods of time to be more realistic to an older adult with dementia than the present. A person’s alternate reality can be his or her way of making sense of the present through past experiences.
Anosognosia: How to Care for Seniors Unaware of Their Dementia
If an aging loved one with dementia has voiced beliefs such as this, you may have thought to yourself that he or she was just in denial and reluctant to acknowledge such a concerning diagnosis. However, there may be another reason: anosognosia, or a person’s genuine unawareness that he/she is impaired by dementia.
The Benefits of Enrichment Activities for Seniors
Is your elderly loved one staying engaged with activities on a day-to-day basis, or is she stuck in a rut that mostly includes watching television, eating, and sleeping? Particularly during this time of quarantining and solitude, it can be challenging to maintain an active and involved way of life – but it is critically important for the health and wellness of older adults.
The Sandwich Generation Challenge: Managing Family and Aging Parents
Are your elderly parents in need of help at home? Are you additionally attempting to manage caring for children and family at home? If so, you are part of the sandwich generation – a demographic of men and women, ordinarily in their thirties or forties, who have found themselves responsible for bringing up their own children while at the same time providing care for their older parents. The to-do lists of our sandwich generation are packed. Countless family caregivers not only work full-time, but they are additionally shuttling children to and from school and after-school activities and taking care of a household on top of their caregiving obligations. There are remedies to help caregivers, however, and the first step is becoming knowledgeable on how to make the situation more manageable.
How to Begin Discussing the Need for a Caregiver for Elderly Parents
Getting used to the idea that a senior you love requires assistance at home can be challenging. Even more challenging is talking about the need for a caregiver for elderly parents and getting them to agree that help is needed. If you have spotted changes in a loved one and you’re sensing the need to initiate a conversation about home care as a solution to ensure safety and independence in the home, try some of these conversation starters about a caregiver to broach the subject in a subtle, non-confrontational way.
Should My Parent Move in With Me? What Families Need to Consider
Perhaps one of the most honorable decisions adult children can make is to open their home to an elderly parent. Our parents raised us when we were children, so it’s natural to reciprocate when it becomes less safe for Mom or Dad to live on their own. Yet there are a number of issues to … Read more
Caring for Aging Parents: How Siblings Can Best Work Together
When we were kids, we were taught to share our toys as well as our parents’ attention, and those same feelings tend to carry with us well into our adult years. As remarkable as it is to have siblings, there also are times it can cause increased stress levels, such as when caring for aging … Read more
Parkinson’s Disease Care 101: Tips for Family Caregivers
Many older individuals with Parkinson’s disease receive most of their care at home from loved ones, particularly during the course of the early levels of the disease. As a top provider of home care assistance in Austin, TX and the surrounding areas, we at CareFor recognize the unique concerns experienced by family members who are … Read more