Easing Your Aging Parent's Stress When You're Caregiving From a Distance

When you live too far away from your aging parent to be with them on a daily, or even weekly, basis, it is easy to feel added stress as a family caregiver. You are likely to worry that you won't be able to handle their care tasks effectively, or that you may not be able to detect changes in their behaviors or symptoms that could threaten their health and safety. It is important, however, to note that you are not the only one likely to experience stress in this type of arrangement. Your parent will also feel emotional strain related to their needs, and to your relationship with them as their family caregiver. Taking the time to acknowledge this stress and take steps to ease it will help to make your care efforts more efficient, and help them stay healthier and safer as they age in place. 

Some ways you can ease your aging parent's stress when dealing with your distance caregiving arrangement include:

• Schedule phone calls with them. Talking to them on a regular basis is not only good for making sure you keep up-to-date on their condition and their needs. It also helps your parent to feel acknowledged and recognized. Scheduling this call for the same time each day gives your parent something to look forward to, which is good for mental and emotional health, and eases anxiety.
• Don't always focus on care efforts. While you want to make sure you know about their health and well-being, and ensure you are doing what they need, this shouldn't be your only focus. As a caregiver, you are also your parent's adult child, and preserving this important relationship is extremely valuable. Taking the time to talk to them about their life, share your life with them, talk about your children, and focus on things other than care helps your parent to feel less like the only reason you interact with them is so you can care for them.
• Maintain a schedule. The unknown can be very unnerving for a senior. If your parent is unsure of how they are going to meet their needs when they will go to the doctor, if they are going to get their banking or grocery shopping done that week, or other issues, they are likely to feel a considerable amount of stress and anxiety. Simply creating and firmly following a schedule gives your parent structure, and lets them know when things will be handled, if even they are being handled from a distance, such as if you call to schedule appointments, or order groceries for them online.

Getting older can be an extremely stressful experience for an aging adult. As their family caregiver, you can make their life easier and more enjoyable by taking steps to ease the stress and simplify their daily routine. One way you can do this is by starting senior care for them. By integrating a senior home care services provider into your care routine with your parents, particularly if you live at a distance from them, you can both feel more confident their daily needs will be a managed. It's simply knowing they have access to someone prepared to offer customized, dedicated care will help your parent to feel less stressed, and more prepared both for the challenges of daily life, and for experiencing new things. With the support of a care provider, your parent may feel more secure staying active, trying new things, engaging in more social activity, and even participating in the community around them through opportunities such as volunteering. All of this combines to help your parent enjoy the highest quality of life possible while staying healthy and safe.

IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING HIRING IN-HOME SENIOR CARE IN CHICAGO, IL, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE CHICAGO. CALL TODAY: 312.382.8888.