Right now, it’s hard to navigate being a family caregiver. You know if you’re not with your dad that he is isolated. You can ease some of this by calling him daily and trying to get him to video chat.
Family caregivers cannot ignore the impact isolation can have. You might feel stir crazy. You want to get back to normal and visit your friends and family like you used to. You want to get back to work. You want to go shopping without fear.
Your dad is experiencing that, too. Not only is he alone and isolated, but he’ also is in the higher-risk group for coronavirus. Social isolation increases the risk of inflammation, high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression.
How Does Isolation Impact Your Health?
Why does social isolation impact your health? It comes down to stress. When you’re stressed, you tend to turn to those closest to you. They’re there for comfort, which helps ease the stress.
When you cannot turn to others for comfort, it’s harder to ease the stress. Exercise may help your dad ease some of that angst, but if he’s not as mobile as he used to be, it’s hard to get enough exercise to lessen the stress.
Stress prompts an inflammatory response in the body. Stress hormones impact blood pressure. High blood pressure can put extra strain on the blood vessels, veins, and arteries. This impacts the cardiovascular system.
Experts don’t believe short-term isolation will impact many people, but it’s hard to tell how long COVID-19 will have people self-isolating. Finding ways to handle stress is important.
Ways to Beat the Stress
Video chats are one of the ways your dad can ease stress, but he may struggle with the technology. A phone call is also beneficial.
He can burn off some of his stress by finding a hobby that keeps his mind occupied. It’s a good time to find new things to do. He could start gardening, learn to paint, or take up baking. Kneading dough works the muscles in the arms and wrists and also provides him with food.
Have You Considered Caregivers for Now?
Caregivers are one of the best ways to help him avoid feeling lonely or isolated. It’s important right now as isolation also impacts a person’s health.
With this pandemic, you’re also supposed to stay home. While you’re tempted to travel to and from your dad’s home to check on him, you need to put his safety first. Caregivers can stay with him and make sure he’s not feeling isolated and has the help he needs.
If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in Danville, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.
Each year, the CDC releases a report on medications older adults take. It was found that close to 40 percent of all adults 65 or older fills prescriptions for at least five medications each month. Close to 50 percent filled one to four prescription medications. At the same time, emergency rooms across the U.S. reported an increase in the number of visits regarding adverse reactions or overdoses of prescription medications.
These services are easy to use. You both load the app or software on your computer, make a call just as you would with a phone, and your mom and dad answer on their end. Chat as long and as often as you need.
Another drawback to newer machines is that the alarms and alerts can be a lot lower in volume than your senior is used to. That can mean that she isn’t able to hear them or that she becomes frustrated by using the machines. This is especially a problem if her laundry room is in the basement or is otherwise difficult for her to get to easily.
As your senior parent’s caregiver, you’re the one most likely to step in and offer her assistance. But if she’s not excited about having your help, you might find that the two of you argue about what the right answer is for her.
Bathing is becoming harder for your parents. Their bathroom needs updating, and you’re all considering a walk-in tub. Your family knows they’re more expensive, but they seem to be ideal for a parent who has a harder time getting in and out of a traditional bath/shower combination. Are they worth the cost?
The Home Baking Association designed Bake for Family Fun Month as a way to get families into the kitchen together. It’s a time for generations to unite, help each other master cooking skills, and enjoy meals together.
Are you worried that your elderly loved one will need to move into assisted living? If you are, did you know there are some ways that you might be able to keep them living at home? If you follow these tips, your elderly loved one might be able to stay at home longer than you ever expected.
Everyone deals with stress during their life. It’s the body and mind’s way of handling difficulties. There’s the stress you feel taking exams or hearing a strange noise in your car while driving in a remote area. There’s also the stress you encounter doing hard work. Caregiver stress is manageable if you use these five techniques for keeping stress to a minimum.