Caring for an aging family member can be one of the most rewarding and difficult life experiences. Many people don’t want to send a family member to a nursing home or assisted living facility, so they opt to care for the person themselves in the comfort of their own home. However, there may come a time when the best option for a loved one is to seek the help of a professional who specializes in in-home senior care. If you’re caring for an aging loved one, then you know the difficulties that come along with daily care. While you might look for signs in your loved one to determine whether professional care is needed, you should look inward for signs as well. If you’re experiencing any of the following, then you should consider seeking professional care.
Have you sustained an injury or experienced physical pain? Once you hurt yourself caring for your loved one, you should immediately seek additional in-home help. While your desire to maintain your position as caregiver is understandable, if you ignore the signs of physical stress, you could find yourself in the hands of someone else’s care as well.
Have you noticed changes in your sleep pattern? Because of the fast paced lives many of us lead, it can be difficult to link changes in sleep pattern to the burden of caring for a loved one, but if you find yourself falling asleep at odd times or in atypical situations, or you are unable to sleep through the night out of fear that your loved one will sustain an injury while you’re asleep, then that is a clear sign that you should seek additional help. While it may seem noble to neglect your own care for the benefit of your loved one, you will only do more harm to yourself and your family if you fail to keep yourself healthy.
Do you notice a lack of emotional stability in your day-to-day activities? No one would blame you for experiencing emotional distress at the thought of your loved one’s declining health, but if you feel less stable and more irritable in normal daily situations, then you might be on the verge of a breakdown. Enlisting the help of a professional caregiver will alleviate your stress and help you regain your normal composure.
If you’re experiencing these setbacks while caring for an aging family member, and you’re ready to make the call for help, contact Balanced Home Care to speak with a compassionate caregiver who will provide you with a complementary assessment.
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