Home Care for All In Need
Apr 23rd
When most of us think of home care aides, we think of a nurse who cares for the elderly. But home care is not exclusive to only seniors. Home health aides and companions also assist people who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired.
Families with a loved one who has a kind of permanent or even temporary disability may not be able to provide the around the clock care that is necessary. The family may need to continue to work full time which can leave the patient alone and attended for long periods of time. Having a home care aide attend the patient while the family cannot is a great relief.
Other reasons may require family caregivers to request the services of a home care provider as well. Family caregivers often experience stress, fatigue, and even worsening health issues that can hinder their ability to provide the best care for their loved one. Instead of ignoring their delapitating health at the risk of not being about to care for their loved one, family caregivers can greatly benefit themselves by handing over caregiving responsibilities to professional caregivers. In other words, professional in home caregivers can provide much needed respite for family caregivers. Whether the home care aide is only providing a temporary respite or anongoing part of the caregiving team, their assistance can make a huge diffence in the health and well-being of the entire family.
If you are a family caregiver who can use the assistance of a home care aide, you are at the right place. Better Living Home Care can help you find a compatible caregiver in your area for live-in caregiving or hourly caregiving. We have caregivers who can assist you when you need them most, providing respite for you and excellent care for your loved one. Remember, you are not alone. Help is simply a phone call or email away. Contact Better Living Home Care today!
The Impact of Long-term Stress on Caregivers
Jan 12th
Caregiving and stress go hand-in-hand. All devoted and loving caregivers experience some level of stress. For some it is the stress of watching a family member’s physical or cognitive health deteriorate; for others the stress comes from financial worries while others experience stress by having to deal with the bureaucratic mazes of the healthcare system. These are only a few examples of stressful situations that family caregivers across the nation are facing daily.
How stress impacts the caregiver’s health can result in serious illnesses that can drastically hinder the ability to care for a loved one.
Stress is more than an emotion; it is the body’s response to danger. Muscles tense, adrenaline flows, and heart rate increases so that the body is ready for flight or fight mode. It is basic survival mode. Yet long periods in this heightened physical response creates relentless pressure and strain on the body. Caregiving for a family member with a deteriorating condition like Alzheimer’s Disease or Parkinson’s Disease is prime example of long-term stress.
Caregivers enduring long-term stress face several health consequences. Studies have shown that stress weakens the immune system which makes caregivers vulnerable to illnesses like the flu. The impact of stress on the immune system can also cause vaccines to work less effectively and slow the healing process of wounds. Furthermore, stress can exacerbate chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and osteoporosis.
Add to stress the muscle and joint strain of certain physical tasks that go into caregiving, poor diet, and lack of sleep and exercise, caregivers are faced with a mountain of health risks. In severe cases, caregivers are at risk of heart attacks, stroke, or even death.
In a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec. 15, 1999), Richard Schulz and Scott Beach found that elderly caregivers who reported strain were 63% more likely to die than their non-caregiving peers. Some caregivers die while their ill family member lives on.
If you’re a caregiver who is elderly or in poor health, you deserve respite. Better Living Home Care can step in and care for your loved one when you need to rest, strengthen your physical and mental, or simply perform the aspects of caregiving that are unmanageable.
Don’t risk your and your loved one’s health. Get the help you both require. Contact Better Living Home Care to schedule a free in-home consultation.