If you care for an aging family member or other loved one, you understand the challenges firsthand. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, about 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to someone aged 50 or older in the last 12 months. If you’re one of them, we want to ensure you care for yourself because caregiving can affect your body, mind and spirit.
November is National Family Caregivers Month — a time to show support for the people who work around the clock to care for seniors and give them the resources they need. In turn, we’d like to help support your efforts and offer some words of wisdom.
Challenges for Senior Caregivers
In many ways, being a caregiver is much harder than a full-time, paid job. You may find you have:
- Less privacy. It can be difficult to find time for yourself — especially if you are caring for someone in a small space.
- Less time to sleep. Because of your loved one’s needs, your sleep-wake cycle might become thrown off schedule.
- Less time for yourself. You may be unable to participate in hobbies or activities you once loved because you are so busy providing care.
- More financial strain. If your caregiving prevents you from working for pay, it may be difficult to make ends meet. Additionally, you may have challenges paying for everything your loved one needs.
- More mental health challenges. You may experience depression, anxiety and isolation if you feel alone. Caring for a loved one sometimes makes it difficult to maintain other social connections.
Elderly Care Support at AdventHealth
We offer a wide range of comprehensive care and services for seniors that can help your loved ones spot health problems early and start treatment for conditions related to aging. These services include:
- Blood pressure screenings
- Bone density scans
- Cholesterol checks
- Colorectal cancer and other cancer screenings
- Geriatric medicine evaluations
- Hearing tests
- Memory screenings
Our network of health care providers includes doctors, clinicians, in-home caregivers and pharmacists who are all specially trained in working with older patients. We’ll help guide and personalize your loved one’s care so they see the right specialist or therapist at the right time.
Resources For Family Caregivers
If you need assistance caring for your loved one, our in-home caregivers can help. This home health care option allows for more personal attention and support. In addition to in-home medical care, we provide additional services tailored to meet your needs, including assistance with personal care and hygiene, companion care, light housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, medication reminders and more.
In additional, when you have questions about the next steps for your loved one, what social services may be available and how you can connect with others in similar positions, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can also help.
This government department can lead you to more information about:
- Caring for someone who is on Medicare or Medicaid
- Mental health and addiction insurance help
- The National Institutes on Aging
- The Administration for Community Living
- Local services in your area for seniors and their caregivers
- Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease
And remember, even with your busy schedule as you prioritize care for your loved one, it’s also important to maintain your health needs. We know your time is valuable, which is why many of our providers offer virtual visits you can utilize when making time for an in-office appointment isn’t feasible for your schedule.
Whole Health For Your Whole Family
Caring for aging loved ones takes a lot of time and resources, but know you are never alone. Our senior care experts offer compassionate, personalized care to help your loved ones navigate this chapter in their lives.
