Caregiving is not an easy job, and around one quarter of adults in the United States are family caregivers for an aging relative who requires assistance at home. These caregivers need to remember to look after themselves as much as they focus on looking after the seniors they care for, their families, their homes, and the people that they work with during their day jobs. Here are some essential survival tools for all family caregivers:

1. Take care of yourself with diet and exercise – eat well throughout the day, and no matter how busy you are, don’t skip meals, otherwise your energy levels will drop. Exercise at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes, and pick something that you enjoy doing (walking, biking, aerobics class)

2. Walk away – you won’t walk away permanently from your care responsibilities, but you can take a step back when you need to. Take a break, even if just for a few minutes, or have someone else step in to provide respite care

3. Seek help – 72% of caregivers refuse to receive outside help with their responsibilities; don’t be one of them. Ask a family member to step in and help, or hire a professional home caregiver to give you a break. Also, don’t be afraid to lean on others when you’re stressed, even if it means joining a support group

4. Spoil yourself – reward yourself for all of your hard work, once a week or once a month, go get a massage, have a manicure, go to a movie, or take a hot bath with a glass of wine. Do something that helps you rejuvenate!

5. Don’t neglect your health – remember to get yourself to the doctor regularly, especially if you’re feeling ill. You’ll be better help to a senior when you’re in one piece!

Via: Caregiver Stress

Keeping Aging Relatives in Austin Safe and Independent at Home by providing senior home care for Austin Seniors and Elders. Call Home Care Austin 512-347-9207.

Home Care Austin provides elder care and senior care in Austin. Call us today at 512-347-9207.

Let us help you keep mom and dad at home!

Challenges of a Caregiver

Providing care for a family member is a challenging job. Caregivers face a number of stresses that come from their overwhelming responsibilities; balancing a career, family life and their elder care duties. They are also forced to face challenges that they never before encountered, related to a senior’s medical needs and mobility.

Family members may have to learn how to change bandages, assist with bathing and dressing a senior, helping with the administration of medications and more. Their responsibilities may also present physical challenge when their care recipient has issues with mobility, since the senior may need to be physically moved from places like the bathtub, toilet, bed and more; which requires that the caregiver be physically fit, and even then, they may put additional strain on their bodies.

Based on the challenges that caregivers are forced to cope with, industry professionals know there is a need to provide resources and assistance to properly arm these family providers for their responsibilities. AgingAvenues.com founded by Carlotta Katra offers a series of seminars beginning in February to help caregivers with their preparation. Or, Professional CAREGivers who provide care for an aging family member are always willing to help better inform and provide helpful resources to the important people in the senior’s life.

Sources: http://www.pr.com/press-release/117640
              http://www.merckbooks.com/mmha/pdf/sidebar_excerpt.pdf

Home Instead Senior Care in Austin helps elders stay home longer in Austin. Please call us when seeking non-medical home care, companionship, and professional caregvers in Austin. Call us (512) 347-9207.

Caregiver Stress in Austin - Signs that you are stressed out and might need help or senior home care.

Many people who care for their loved ones adapt to naturally giving a huge amount of time and energy for the sake of the one you love. If you are one of these people, do you ever stop to wonder if you are giving too much? How would you know if you are finally reaching the point of not caring about YOU anymore?
Some signs of stress are:

• Withdrawal - You may find yourself withdrawing from family and/or friends. Also, not participating in the hobbies you once enjoyed is a sign.
• Difficulty sleeping - If you are having a hard time falling asleep and/or staying asleep.
• Exhaustion - Feeling tired from everyday tasks and the feeling that there is not enough time to get things done.
• Lack of Concentration - Feeling overwhelmed by the tasks at hand and what needs to be done.
• Weight Loss/Gain - Loss of appetite, or eating to comfort yourself is indicators that you are under stress.
• Drinking or Smoking - If you find yourself turning to this as an outlet, realize it isn’t a healthy way to deal with your feelings.
• Head Aches and Stomach Problems - You can start to feel physically ill if you are stressed out.

Sick More Often - If you are stressed out, your body can’t fight off illnesses and viruses as well.

When you start to identify with these signs, you know it is time to sit back for a minute and evaluate your situation. In this series, we will go over a number of techniques to help you cope and conquer stress.

Home Care Austin

As a caregiver, you may be experiencing stress, if so, call Home Instead Senior Care Austin at 512-347-9207.

Here’s a list of senior services survival tools recommended by Home Instead Senior Care:

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 teaches 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: To avoid burnout and stress, you can enlist the help of other family members, 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, a weekend, or even a week’s vacation; just make sure you line up your support system so you can be confident that your loved one is safe and happy. And when you’re away, stay away. Talk about different things, read that book you haven’t been able to get to, see a movie. Only a real break will renew and refresh you.

Eat Well: Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins - including nuts and beans - and whole grains. Indulging in caffeine, fast food and sugar as quick “pick-me-ups” also produce quick “let-downs.”

Take Care of Yourself: Just like you make sure your loved one gets to the doctor regularly, make sure you get your annual check-up.  Being a caregiver provides many excuses for skipping your necessary check-ups, but you cannot and should not compromise your health.

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.

Find Support: Find a local caregiver support group, which will help you understand that what you are feeling and experiencing is normal for someone in your position. 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.

Ahhh, a foot massage!  Doesn’t that sound appealing? When needing a break to shop, run errands, movies, lunch with a friend, call Home Instead Senior Care Austin at 512-347-9207 - we can give you a break in the daily routine of care.

Leave your comment below if you have discovered a way to destress while in the throes of caregiving.

Patricia Volland, MSW MBA, senior vice president of The New York Academy of Medicine and director of the Academy’s Social Work Leadership Institute, says “This generation of seniors is living longer, and their children often are still raising families. They’re not prepared for their older parents’ needs, and the dynamic between adult children and aging parents is not a simple one.”

If you are an adult child of an aging relative and need help, please contact Home Instead Senior Care in Austin or call 512-347-9207.

In an effort to better prepare the social workers they train, Volland and her team commissioned a study, released late last year, entitled “Squeezed Between Children and Older Parents: A Survey of Sandwich Generation Women”1. The poll, which surveyed women ages 35 to 54, showed that more than 60 percent of women concerned about an aging relative’s health said they have difficulty managing stress, compared with 48 percent of women for whom an aging relative’s health was not a concern.

Women concerned about an aging relative’s health were about three times more likely (34 percent) to say they worry “a great deal” about having enough time for family than those who were not responsible for the care of an aging loved one (12 percent).

“Working through the maze of helping a loved one can be more than a full-time job,” Volland said. “Social workers are uniquely trained to provide comprehensive care coordination. This begins with a comprehensive assessment, which includes identifying resources, managing the complexity of the relationships between the many care systems people encounter such as health, payment, and formal and informal supportive services, as well as dealing with family dynamics.”

Social workers and other senior care experts often recommend resources like Home Instead Senior Care to help the elderly remain independent and their family caregivers manage stress. Home Instead CAREGivers provide older adults companionship and assistance with meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, shopping and errands - thus providing a valuable respite for weary family caregivers, as well.

“Our services can be just what harried family members need to help fill in caregiving gaps they may be experiencing, as well as to alleviate the stress and worry that caregiving can bring to their lives,” said Hogan.  “Most family caregivers agree that there are many rewards associated with this job, and that additional support can make all the difference.”  For support in Austin, please contact Home Instead Senior Care in Austin or call 512-347-9207.