If you are caring for a loved one who is ill or
elderly I don't have to tell you that you are stressed out!
What you may not realize is that you are not alone. The feelings of frustration and anger and grief are shared by millions of people across the world. And it is probably affecting your health. An alarming study revealed that 2.5million caregivers sacrifice their own health taking care of elderly parents.
The stress many caregivers experience may come from :
Add to this mix the responsibility :
Caregiving Services for Evercare co sponsored a study of 528 caregivers.
The study showed :
Other complaints included
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lack of sleep or energy (87%),
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aches and pains (60%) and
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other physical ailments such as high blood pressure, arthritis flare-ups.
Often caregivers have to assist with daily tasks such as
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helping loved ones in and out of bed,
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assisting with toileting
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dealing with incontinence issues. Besides the obvious physical stress this puts on a caregivers body it also often causes much mental anguish.
To see a loved one no longer able to care for themselves can be heartbreaking and cause much distress. Just knowing that the situation will probably not improve is enough to put a caregiver over the edge.
As with any form of stress the caregiver often reports a
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feeling of being overwhelmed and out of control.
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They often experience anxiety because they are not sure where to turn for help or not even aware that it's Ok to ask for help and it's OK to take care of yourself!
Discover how to get out of the maze with these stress management techniques.
Maybe it's time to make a change.
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