If you are in control of the majority of the care for older parents while your siblings distance themselves from caregiving, you are far from alone. In fact, 50 percent of all family caregivers are providing care for an elderly loved one alone, based on a recent report from AARP.
Caregiving With Your Siblings: Working With a Mediator
When you’re caregiving with your siblings to make sure the needs of your aging parents are satisfied, even the closest brothers and sisters can find themselves in disagreement. Stress levels and emotions are, of course, running high. Add to that your past family history and dynamics, which have a tendency to resurface during the course of challenging times, and it’s not hard to see how troublesome this stage in life…
Let Go of Feeling Overwhelmed by Caregiving During the Holidays. Simplify.
The holidays are an ideal time to spend time with friends and family, but it’s not quite what you would call a relaxing time of year. The hustle and bustle, from shopping to social gatherings to family get-togethers, can be incredibly stressful and leave you feeling overwhelmed during the holidays, and when you have someone you love to care for, your own tasks can be neglected.
Give the Gift of Self-Care for Family Caregivers This Holiday Season
It’s the most merry and bright time of the year! However, if you’re one of the millions of people in the U.S. who is caring for an older loved one, the approaching holiday season may feel more like the most stress-filled time of the year. Carving out time for self-care for family caregivers is often relegated to the very bottom of the to-do list, but the home care professionals at…
Tips on How to SMILE Through Caregiving Challenges
Stop for a moment to close your eyes and visualize yourself like this: You’ve spent most of your life providing care for and helping others – as a mother or father, in your occupation, through volunteering in your community, and as a grandparent. After a lifetime of living independently and being in control of all of your decisions, you have now aged to the point that you actually are the…
Signs of Elder Abuse in Senior Loved Ones
Is It Caregiver Burnout or Compassion Fatigue?
Care providers devote so much of themselves to those they care for – both physically and emotionally. It’s common to become worn down and to start to experience feelings such as apathy, weariness, and a detachment from the person in your care. Referred to as compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, it can be harmful to your own health and wellbeing but may also impact your ability to be as…
Top Tips for Minimizing Family Caregiver Stress
Family caregiver stress is unavoidable, and in reality, not always a bad thing. Basically, as they say, “A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” But particularly for family caregivers, the level of stress can quickly intensify and become overwhelming, and if not handled properly, bring on serious health concerns.