Stress-less Care Giving

Providing care to your parents, grandparents, or others can be truly rewarding, yet very tiring. Quite often, care giving can leave a person feeling depressed, tired, and spent. When you reach the point of sheer exhaustion, it is important to seek professional help. Caring for a loved one will leave most people feeling high levels of stress. The reason why most people feel stress when they care for their loved ones is because they have not received formal training, and they are not prepared to deal with all of the things that are involved in long-term care. Most elderly individuals require a lot of attention, and this puts a strain on the care giver because they no longer have the freedom to attend social activities, or participate in some of their favorite hobbies and activities.

Most elderly individuals require a lot of attention.

Helping seniors become self-reliant

When it comes to caring for loved ones, you need to care for yourself first. If you are irritable, tired, and stressed out you will be unable to properly care for your loved ones. One thing you can do to try and reduce stress is to encourage your loved ones to try and become more independent. You can help them rely on themselves more by modifying their home a little bit. Install a raised toilet seat that includes support bars so they can use the restroom on their own, and you then do not need to help them in the bathroom. As far as showering goes, you should purchase a shower chair and install some support bars in the shower to prevent slips and falls. Attach a shower head with a hose so they can move it around and properly cleanse their body. To order shower chairs, support bars, and raised toilet seats, visit: http://www.caregiverpartnership.com/landing/daily-living/. Installing support bars around the home will save you from the trouble of needing to get to your parent’s home early in the morning to help them get out of bed. When you encourage them to have a little more self-reliance, it will reduce your stress load as you no longer need to worry about performing every single activity for them.

Stress reduction tips

Using simple techniques, you can learn how to reduce stress and enjoy the time you have left with your loved ones. When you are under a great deal of stress, your immune system is in a weak state and it leaves you vulnerable to bacterial infections. As a caregiver, you cannot afford to become ill so it is important to keep your stress load to a minimum to keep your immune system strong and healthy.

Daily exercise is one of the best things you can do to reduce stress. As you are undergoing a new lifestyle change, exercise will allow you to still have some time to yourself and exercise reduces stress and anxiety. Running, biking, and swimming is a wonderful way to reduce stress and to clear your mind.

Daily exercise- to reduce stress.

Another great stress reduction tip is to practice deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing calms and reassures the nervous system, allowing you to remain calm, cool, and collected. Each time you start to feel overwhelmed, take a few minutes to practice deep breathing. Practicing yoga is a great way to soothe the nervous system as it combines soothing deep breathing with strength training exercises.

Consider recreational activities that you elder may enjoy such as playing checkers or chess or going for a stroll. This will ensure them physical and mental stimulating activity.

Although you are the caregiver, never be afraid to ask for help. Taking care of your loved ones is not going to be easy and you will need the support and help of others from time to time. If you have siblings, children, or other relatives, give them a call and see if they can look in on your parents from time to time and help you out. Even having someone else stop by and help them get ready for the day can take a huge weight off your shoulders.

About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wisc. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.