Coping with Caregiving: How to Manage Stress when Caring for Elderly Relatives

摘要

Family members who play a major role in caring for elderly relatives frequently ignore their own needs. Some find them selves virtually homebound and consumed by caregiving tasks. When caregiving is prolonged over months and years, the self-sacrifice is particularly harmful. We have prepared this publication to help you maintain your personal well-being while providing quality care for an elderly relative. We will discuss the sources of stress and how you can master stress for your own benefit and that of the person for whom you are providing care. Remember, its just as important to take care of your own needs as to provide the best care for your dependent loved one. When you are a caregiver, ignoring your own needs is not only potentially detrimental to you, but it can also be harmful to the person who depends on you. Many nursing home placements are precipitated by the caregivers exhaustion, illness, or death.