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Tag: Mental Health

How Can Companion Care at Home Help Seniors Reduce Stress?

Posted on by ltcep2023

Navigating the challenges of aging is not for the faint of heart. Managing stress is a big part of aging gracefully, especially while dealing with health complications and other difficulties. Companion care at home can be a valuable resource for seniors who need and want support and companionship while they deal with the stress of daily life.

Engaging in Meaningful Activities

Feeling as if life has meaning is a huge part of reducing stress levels, particularly for seniors. Simple activities like playing a game or gardening offer seniors something to do, but they also help to keep brains and bodies active and engaged. These activities are a lot easier with someone else around to talk to.

Offering Emotional Support and Companionship

One of the biggest ways that companion care at home helps seniors is to offer emotional support. Seniors often end up feeling lonely and isolated for a variety of reasons. Companion care offers someone who can listen and with whom seniors can build relationships that matter.

Assisting with Small Daily Tasks

Home care providers offer hands-on help with daily tasks, like making meals and light household chores. Companion care at home is slightly different, but they might also assist with some small daily tasks. They can help seniors remember to do specific activities, for instance, like exercising or remembering to eat. If seniors need more help, different types of caregivers can offer that assistance.

Promoting Autonomy and Independence

One source of stress for aging adults is the worry that they won’t be able to continue living their lives on their own terms. Companion caregivers can offer seniors the emotional support they need to remember that there is plenty that they can still do on their own. When seniors feel empowered, they’re more likely to feel as if they still have some control over their lives.

Offering Individual Attention

Sometimes seniors feel as if they get lumped in with everyone else. But companion care at home is there to offer them individual attention according to their own needs. There aren’t any one-size-fits-all plans for the day, and that can be tremendously comforting for seniors.

Improving Safety and Security

Companion caregivers are in a unique position. They’re there to offer companionship and emotional support, but they also understand what life is like for aging adults. They know what to watch out for and what signs could indicate that seniors aren’t living as safely as they could be. This alone is a huge source of stress, both for seniors and for the family members who love them. Companion caregivers can help families to know what’s going on with the seniors they love so that they can take steps to help them be safer when they need to do so.

Companion care at home offers essential companionship and support for seniors, which can go a long way toward reducing stress levels. These caregivers can help in a variety of other ways, too, which keeps seniors happy and healthy for as long as possible.

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Mesa, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

Older Adults Have Mental Health Issues, Too

Posted on by Craig Bass

Many people think of mental illness as something affecting teens and young adults, but fewer people realize that the elderly are just as likely to be experiencing problems with their mental health. Twenty million older adults have at least one mental health issue. Depression and chronic anxiety are the two most common.

A bigger problem is that many people with mental health disorders do not get the treatment they need. WHO and PAHO estimate that 66% of older adults fall into what’s called a “Treatment Gap” and receive no care for their mental health. This is concerning as 90% of older adults also reported not feeling that they get enough support, whether it’s from family and friends, their community, or the medical profession.

It might be that your dad is ashamed and doesn’t want to mention it to his doctor. He may have tried to bring it up and wasn’t taken as seriously as he expected. Either way, mental health is not something to ignore.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. These are the most common mental health issues and the things you can do to support your dad if he has any of them.

Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common, and it can be tied to excessive stress that’s not properly managed or past events that left lasting scars. There are many types of anxiety and some of the more common are:

  • Generalized Anxiety – Anxiety that happens every day that can be about anything.
  • Social Anxiety – Becoming extremely anxious in social settings, such as a holiday party or while shopping.

If anxiety isn’t addressed, it can build into panic disorder. A full-blown panic attack will hit and cause symptoms like a racing heart, chest pain, chills, feelings of detachment, tingling hands and feet, nausea, dizziness, etc. As many of the symptoms mimic a heart attack or stroke, it can be alarming and that fear only makes it worse.

When he’s dealing with anxiety, your dad may find it comforting to have people around more often. Try to make sure companionship visits are boosted.

Bipolar Disorder

Someone who is bipolar goes through good and bad periods where that person can be feeling fantastic and full of life one day and then experience a depressive episode the next. These waves of ups and downs can be exhausting and isolating.

Your dad will be prescribed medications to help balance his mood. He must take them each day.

Cognitive Impairment

Cognitive impairment is also a mental health condition. This includes things like Alzheimer’s where the brain’s deterioration affects mood, memory, and behavior.

In the early stages of dementia, there’s not much that needs to be done. It is a good time to address advance directives and estate plans. As the disease progresses, help with personal care, housekeeping, transportation, and meals are all important.

Depression

Depression is a disorder that affects how you think, feel, and act. Someone who is depressed may withdraw from others. You might notice your dad stays in bed all morning and doesn’t ever want to get out of bed. He’ll lose interest in activities that he used to enjoy.

He needs to see his doctor and have an honest conversation. If his doctor dismisses him, make sure you advocate for your dad to get proper treatment.

In-home care is a good way to provide your dad with the companionship and household help he needs as he focuses on de-stressing and improving his mental health. His caregiver can drive him to therapy sessions, support groups, and other counseling sessions.

He’ll also have a caregiver to accompany him on walks in nature, shopping trips, and time spent in his gardens. Learn more about these and the other benefits of in-home care.

Sources:
https://www.ncoa.org/article/how-to-improve-access-to-mental-health-and-substance-use-care-for-older-adults
https://www3.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9877:seniors-mental-health&Itemid=0&lang=en#gsc.tab=0
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/mental_health.pdf

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Phoenix, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

What Is Social Anxiety?

Posted on by Craig Bass

Getting your mom to leave the house and go to social functions is proving impossible. She used to be more comfortable visiting family and attending gatherings with friends, but that’s changed. Have you looked at social anxiety as the reason this is happening? Social anxiety affects about 7% of the population, and it usually appears around the age of 13. It may not seem likely to happen in older adults, but it can, and it often goes hand-in-hand with health issues like dementia. People with dementia are likely to withdraw and become very anxious in social situations. Here are a few things to consider about social anxiety and how home care can help.

Understanding the Realities of Social Anxiety

When a person has social anxiety, they’re constantly in fear of what other people are thinking or saying about them. They live in fear of being judged, doing something wrong or foolish in front of others, or saying the wrong thing.

A person with social anxiety may reflect on something that was said months or even years ago and be filled with shame. Rather than go through this, it’s often easier to avoid social situations. Withdrawing from public events, family gatherings, or reunions is common behavior with social anxiety.

People with Alzheimer’s disease are often easily agitated, and this is due to anxiety. As memories, names, and facial recognition diminish, it’s easy to become anxious in large gatherings. There’s too much activity, noise, and conversation to be comfortable.

Helping Your Mom Deal With Social Anxiety

Your mom’s memory care doctor is a great source of information on how to help with Alzheimer’s-related anxiety issues. Sometimes, medications can help ease anxiety, but that’s just one option.

Prepare your mom in advance for gatherings. Pick and choose the ones to attend, and try to stick to small events where your mom will be very familiar with people.

Make sure that people know your mom has Alzheimer’s. They need to know some tips for keeping her from feeling awkward or anxious. If she asks a question over and over, they should just keep answering it without saying she’s already told them that.

You might want to consider having business cards printed up that have Alzheimer’s tips printed on them. Your mom sees you slipping someone a business card and won’t think much of it. If you speak up and say she has Alzheimer’s where she can hear it, she might feel self-conscious and that can worsen the situation.

Follow Your Mom’s Cues

How can you help your mom when she’s experiencing social anxiety? Don’t push her into situations that make her uncomfortable. If there is a gathering that she must attend, make sure it’s on familiar ground, such as her home, where she has a safe place to go if she feels uncomfortable.

It may be best to stop pushing her into social events with family and friends. If she’s scared and anxious, let her stay home while you go. A home care provider can offer your mom one-on-one companionship at home that may make her feel more comfortable than being in public. Home care aides cover all of her care needs and provide you with a chance to go out and have fun.

Sources:
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Apache Junction, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!

In-Home Care Helps Seniors Focus On Their Mental Health

Posted on by Craig Bass

Seniors need to pay just as much attention to their mental health as they do to their physical health. But often seniors neglect their mental health because they think that being sad or “blue” is just part of the process of getting older. But it isn’t. Seniors can stay happy and healthy well into their advanced years if they spend some time developing healthy mental wellness habits. In-home care helps seniors focus on their mental health by taking care of the many day to day living tasks that can be tough for seniors. When seniors have in-home care to help with various tasks, they can focus on having fun and living their best lives. A few of the ways that in-home care can help seniors improve their mental health are:

Getting Better Sleep

Seniors who have in-home care overnight will be able to get better sleep, and that will result in better mental health. During sleep is when the brain clears out the clutter and resets. But often seniors don’t get the kind of restful sleep they need. It’s easy for seniors to become anxious at night or be lonely which can make them have poor sleep. Having someone in the house with them at night can make seniors feel less anxious and help them relax enough to get the quality sleep they need.

Eating Healthier Meals

Very often seniors aren’t eating the healthy meals they should eat. Whether it’s because they don’t want to cook for just one or they have trouble doing things like shopping or preparing food they may be relying on take out food or microwave meals. In-home care means that seniors will have someone to help them prepare delicious nutritious meals. And they will have company to share those meals with. A caregiver can also prepare healthy meals in advance so if seniors do need to microwave a meal it will be a healthy homemade meal.

Getting More Exercise

When seniors have a friend that visits regularly they more likely to be active. With a caregiver they can go for walks or bike rides, take exercise classes, or even just put on some music and dance. When seniors are more active their mental health will improve. Exercise kick starts the production of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are what makes people feel happy. So the more exercise your senior loved one gets the happier they will be.

Not Worrying About Their Home

The home environment can have a big impact on your senior loved one’s state of mine. A lot of seniors become anxious or depressed when they can’t keep their home clean or when the laundry piles up. Seniors may feel inadequate if they can’t carry the laundry like they used to or vacuum like they used to. In-home care can do all the household chores and make sure that the house is clean and tidy can really improve a senior’s mental health by making sure they have a tidy and organized house.

If you or an aging loved one is considering in-home care in Fountain Hills, AZ, please call the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Scottsdale at (480) 284-7360. We are here to help!