Caring for Yourself When Caring for Elders During the Holidays

If you are caring for an elderly family member, you are not alone. A 2015 report by National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (2015) shows more than 34 million people are providing significant care to an adult over age 50. Most of this unpaid care is provided by women. Further, most of these women are doing double and even triple duty, caring for their own families and children and working while also providing care for a parent or parent-in-law. Balancing all those responsibilities is a huge challenge. Studies show that the average caregiver spends 20 or more hours a week doing everything from basic hygiene care to administering medications to cooking and cleaning to taking their loved one to appointments to running errands. It’s exhausting. It is stressful. But if they didn’t do it, it could well be that no one else would. And then — here come the holidays. In a season that puts additional stress on many women who traditionally have the responsibility of “making Christmas”, for care-givers, the Christmas holidays add yet another layer of expectations and tasks to an already over-filled schedule. You may love Christmas. You may really, really want to do what you imagine everyone else does for their families to make the season bright. But tasks that should be pleasures (holiday decorating, parties, taking the kids to see Santa) can seem like impossible demands when you are already stressed to the max. Burn out is common this time of year but doesn’t have to...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Aging Family Holiday Coping elder care elderly parents Exhaustion Holiday Season Holidays Self Care stress reduction Source Type: blogs