Lighten Your Load to Protect Your Health

It is estimated that over 9 million adult children over the age of fifty are caring for elderly parents. Many of those, in that same group, are also caring for their own children. That often means that taking care of themselves is third on their caregiving priority list. Putting yourself in that position can be detrimental to your physical, emotional and mental health.

One way to relieve some of the pressure that comes from taking care of your parents and your children, often while trying to juggle work and abandoning social activities, is to take advantage of resources such as in-home nursing care from AdvancedHomeSupport.com or similar websites. Services like these can provide the amount of care your loved one needs at the present time and your reliance on their services can be extended and expanded as situations and needs change. In many situations, the level of care an elderly family member needs increases as time goes by.

It is quite typical for your parent or parents to deny needing any assistance. However, once you begin to notice things such housekeeping habits that are contradictory to your parent’s ordinary housekeeping skills, evidence of poor hygiene habits and empty kitchen cabinets or spoiled food in the refrigerator, you’ll know it’s time to engage some home health services such as companion care, housecleaning assistance and most likely some assistance with transportation.

If your parent has a progressive health problem such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, cancer or any other illness that will require more assistance in the future, you will feel less stressed knowing that you already have a working relationship with an in-home health care organization that can provide nursing care, medication management and numerous other health care services for your parent. 

As a caregiver for an elderly parent or for aging parents and maturing children, your work load and stress load can quickly become overwhelming. You may try to convince yourself that taking time away from your obligations is selfish. Designating some time as personal time is not a selfish act. In fact, it is that personal time that can help you stay healthy, relieve some of your stress and provide the rest you need in order to continue caring for those you love. Don’t hesitate to request assistance from a home health agency so that you can lighten your load while feeling confident that your parent is being well cared for.