Veterans In-Home Care – Strategies for Reducing Stress can be Beneficial for both Caregiver and Elderly Veteran
Dealing with caregiver stress becomes a reality when taking care of an elderly individual. It could be a family member, such as a grandparent or parents, it could be a friend, or it could be part of a job. No matter who the elderly patient is, the stress of being a caregiver is real.
Many caregivers in the past have developed ways to help alleviate stress. The systems and strategies they put in place might have been learned or they came across some accidentally. Below are some of those ideas that other caregivers have used to alleviate stress that may help the family caregiver, the professional caregiver, or anyone else providing any type of home care to an elderly veteran.
Get involved in the community.
Community involvement is not just socially beneficial, it can help to alleviate stress. There are generally many different types of organizations that put on various events throughout the community. Some benefit the homeless, some are focused on women, some benefit elderly veterans in the community, and the list goes on and on.
A caregiver who sees potential opportunities to volunteer in the community may also be able to encourage their senior veteran to get involved as well. This not only helps to reduce stress, it gets the elderly individual involved in something else as well and that can have a double positive impact for both.
Playing games.
Games have numerous benefits for elderly individuals, especially games that require strategic thinking, concentration, and memory related skills. A caregiver who sits down to play games with the senior veteran will also benefit because it would give them an opportunity to relax, focus on something other than the care they are providing, and that can alleviate stress.
Spending just an hour a day playing a game can have benefits to last throughout the day.
Exercise.
Many people incorrectly assume that elderly individuals should avoid strenuous activities. In truth, even heart attack sufferers recovering at home should get some level of exercise. Exercise helps blood circulation and increases oxygen throughout the body, and that can have numerous positive health benefits.
The caregiver who develops an exercise routine and does it with the elderly veteran is going to benefit from it directly and the senior will as well.
These ideas have helped numerous caregivers through the years reduce the stress they feel, while also providing incredible benefit for the elderly veteran for whom they care.
For more information and to learn about veterans in-home care, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
