The holiday season, often pictured as a time of joy and togetherness, can feel like a marathon of added pressure for family caregivers. Between decorating, meal preparation, managing family visits, and maintaining your caregiving routine, the quest for a “perfect” holiday can quickly eclipse the peace it’s meant to bring. If you’re feeling more overwhelmed than merry, you are not alone. This…
2 reasons caregiving is SO HARD We all know caregiver stress is a big problem. But WHY is caregiving so stressful? Nobody really talks about them, but we think these two reasons make caring for an older adult extra difficult. 1. You know exactly how this will end We all know how the caregiving journey ends. Serious disease plus advanced age isn’t something that…
Denial leads to caregiving burnout Denying that you need help is a major reason for caregiver burnout. Many caregivers are convinced that they’ve got their situation handled. No matter how difficult things get, they can manage without any help, thank you very much. The problem? Before you know it, you’ve gained 10 pounds, feel stressed all the time, and resent your older…
Music improves health, mood, and sleep Music has many therapeutic benefits for seniors and sometimes helps more than medication. In documentaries like Alive Inside, we’ve seen how music can deeply affect older adults with cognitive issues. This study showed that in stressful pre-surgery situations, patients who listened to music rather than taking anti-anxiety meds actually had less anxiety and lower cortisol (stress)…
Effective 4 minute home workout for caregivers Exercise is especially important for busy caregivers. Regular exercise keeps your body fit, combats the effects of stress, and boosts your energy. This 4 minute Tabata workout is great because it’s effective and you can squeeze it in anywhere, anytime! Start slow to stay safe Before starting any new exercise, check with your doctor…
Reduce stress by getting help with caregiving tasks To reduce caregiver stress and improve your health, it’s important to share the workload as much as possible. But sometimes the effort to coordinate caregiving schedules and send reminders to family, friends, or hired caregivers is too much extra work. You don’t want to chase after people on top of all your other responsibilities.…
