older people’s health issues
Family Caregiving for Older People
Stresses of caregiving
Although caregiving can be very rewarding, it can also have negative effects. Family caregivers may experience considerable stress and subsequent health problems, isolation, fatigue, and frustration, sometimes leading to a sense of helplessness and exhaustion ( Rewards and Challenges ) or Caregiving may also become a financial burden. Couples in which one partner cares for the other tend to be disproportionately poor. Sometimes a working caregiver needs to leave full-time employment or reduce work hours to accommodate caregiving. The COVID-19 pandemic created more problems for family caregivers because it required isolation and disrupted formal care, Family caregivers reported substantially more stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, food insecurity, and financial worries. They were less able to interact with other people and participate in their usual social activities. Caregivers and/or the older person can talk to health care professionals about getting help, and health care professionals should offer such help, which includes Connecting caregivers to social workers Coordinating interdisciplinary care Referring them to services they need, such as counseling (individual, family, and/or group) and education about the older person's condition and available treatments Making sure older people receive all the benefits they are eligible for, including financial support, training, and respite care (time away from caregiving) Providing immediate and ongoing emotional support Suggesting organizations that providing practical help with daily tasks These measures can often give caregivers the reassurance they need. Caregivers can be given helpful information and/or learn strategies for caregiving from doctors, nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals. Caregivers can also take the following measures to prepare themselves for caregiving and to Avoiding Caregiver Burnout : Attending to their own physical, emotional, recreational, spiritual, and financial needs When appropriate, asking for help with caregiving or psychologic support from other family members and friends Investigating outside groups that can offer psychologic support (such as support groups) or that can help with caregiving (such as counseling, home health care, adult day care, meals programs, and respite care) If their family member is hostile or difficult, learning Care for caregivers for not taking it personally and coping with emotional strain. 