If your elderly loved one comes to you and explains that he’s been feeling stressed out recently, make sure you take him seriously and find out why he’s been feeling so stressed. As a caregiver with a thousand things on your plate, you may wonder what in the world your retired, elderly loved one could be stressed out about.
For many seniors, the golden years are wonderfully relaxed, and the days come and go easily without too many worries. But for others, new worries begin to crop up as they age, and they might not be able to find solutions or know how to deal with the anxious emotions that come up when these feelings of stress don’t go away. Personal care at home providers can help support your loved one and observe physical and emotional patterns.
While you might be able to guess what some of the reasons are behind your elderly loved one’s elevated stress levels, others may surprise you.
Five Common Causes of Stress in the Elderly
- Budget Concerns. Whether it’s not having enough money to cover all of the bills, not knowing how to pay the bills, or not being skilled at budgeting, finances can quickly become a concern for the elderly. Many people often consider not having enough retirement a concern, but for the senior who has lost a spouse who managed most of the bills and money decisions, it might not be the lack of money, but the lack of experience with managing it that stresses out your loved one.
- Health Concerns. Having a chronic health condition or a serious illness can cause stress, but so can little health concerns like poor eyesight, loss of hearing, or a lack of energy. Don’t dismiss health concerns just because they don’t start with the big C.
- Loss of Independence. Your loved one might become stressed due to an inability to do the things he used to be able to take care of by himself. This can include driving himself around, shoveling his own sidewalk, or even taking care of some of his personal needs like clipping his toenails. Finding trustworthy personal care at home helpers might make your loved one anxious.
- Becoming overly isolated. Being alone too much can increase the levels of stress in your loved one because they lose the ability to practice techniques proven to reduce stress, like physical activity, talking to someone, or even playing games as a distraction.
- Watching too much TV or social media. Many seniors find themselves becoming overly anxious about the state of the world as they watch too many negative newscasts, reels, or TikToks about how bad the world is. All that negative input makes them forget about all of the good in the world.
How Personal Care at Home Providers Reduce Stress Levels in Seniors
One option for those seniors who are physically far from their families to reduce stress is to have someone visit regularly to provide personal care at home. Personal care at home providers can help in a multitude of ways to reduce your loved one’s stress.
If home care is stressful, a personal care at home provider can help around the home. If your loved one needs help with grooming but doesn’t know who to ask, a personal care at home provider may be able to help with that as well.
Finally, and most importantly, sometimes a personal care at home provider can give your senior someone to talk to, play games with, and forget about their stress for a while.
If you or someone you know needs Personal Care at Home in Rochester, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 525-7742 for more information.