2 Tips for Reducing Caregiver Stress While Caring for a Parent With Alzheimer's Disease
If you are taking care of a parent with Alzheimer's disease, you may find the added responsibility and stress has started to take its toll on your own mental, emotional and physical health. If nothing is done, this caregiver stress could lead to caregiver burnout. To help prevent this from happening, use the tips below to take care of yourself while taking care of your loved one.
Recognize and Accept the Feelings You Are Having
Especially while taking care of a parent with Alzheimer's disease, you may be having an array of emotions, from anger and frustration to guilt and sadness. This could be caused by the fact your loved one can no longer perform simple tasks or cannot remember who you are. Learning to recognize your emotions and accepting them is one way to relieve your stress.
For example, if you are trying to feed your parent breakfast, they could start fighting you because they no longer know who you are. They may even forget how to use a fork. You may start feeling impatient and angry because you know you have to be at work soon. You may also feel like crying because the person who raised you doesn't even recognize you.
When things like this happen, step back and take several deep breaths. Acknowledge what you are feeling and tell yourself this is normal. If you feel like crying, allow yourself to do so. Keeping it bottled up could increase your feelings and add to your stress, which could eventually manifest itself as physical symptoms.
Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help
When you begin to feel overwhelmed, do not be afraid to ask for help. There is nothing written that you have to care for your parent alone. This help could come in the form of family, friends and professional services, such as in-home nursing aides or companions that can take over your loved one's care for an hour or two to give you a chance to relax.
You also want to have a support system available for when you need someone to talk with or vent to. Expressing your emotions to another person helps you release some of your stress and tension.
The above tips are only a few suggestions on how to deal with caregiver stress. For more help, speak with an in-home care service. You could discuss ways to cope with how you are feeling, as well as possibly set up appointments for someone to take care of your parent a few times a week to give you a much-needed break. Click here to find out more about local in-home care and available services.
Share