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Don’t Forget Caregivers & Seniors
By Sailynn Doyle
Preparing for the Holiday’s
The holiday season is quickly approaching and for many family caregivers this means added stress. Shopping for presents, decorating the house, and preparing large meals are just some of the tasks added to their already busy daily routines.
The latest stress study from Caring.com reveals that personal relationships are taking a hit when it comes to family caregiving. Eighty percent of baby boomers caring for an aging parent say that it has put a strain on their marriage and 25% said caregiving has played a major role in their divorce.
During this upcoming busy season, Home Instead can help relieve burnout and ease stress by providing respite to family caregivers. Home Instead Senior Care provides non-medical care to seniors and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Services such as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, shopping, errands, incidental transportation and personal care are just some of the most popular.
For instance, you could have a caregiver a few hours a week to do the grocery shopping, errands and meal preparation for your parents or how about a caregiver to bring your parents to all their appointments. This extra little bit of help could make all the difference. All of these services can be just for a short period or can be put in place long term.
Here are some tips to help you manage your stress:
Work out: Exercise and enjoy something you like to do for a minimum of 20 minutes at least three times per week. Consider learning a stress-management exercise such as yoga or tai-chi, which teach inner balance and relaxation.
Ask for help: To avoid burnout and stress, you can enlist the help of other family members, friends, and/or consider hiring a professional caregiver for assistance.
Take a break: Make arrangements for any necessary fill-in help (family, friends, volunteers or professional caregivers). Take a single day or even a week's vacation; just make sure you line up your support system so you can be confident that your loved one is safe and happy. And when you're away, stay away. Talk about different things, read that book you haven't been able to get to, etc. There is no excuse not to.
Home Instead Senior Care will be running its holiday program Be A Santa To A Senior once again this year. Here is more information on the program.
What is Be A Santa To A Senior?
It is a program to provide gifts to seniors who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season. Gifts are distributed in the 15 communities served by the North Dartmouth office.
How does the program work?
The program runs Nov. 15 through Dec. 15, 2009. Prior to the holiday season, participating non-profit organizations will identify needy and isolated seniors and provide their names. Christmas trees, which will go up in retailers prior to Thanksgiving, will feature ornaments with the first names only of the seniors and their respective gift requests. Holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament, buy items on the list and return them unwrapped to the store, along with the ornament attached. Then volunteers collect, wrap and distribute the gifts to these seniors.
How can you participate?
If you or someone you know is interested in donating a gift or hosting a Christmas tree, contact Alice Doyle at (508)984.7900.
Sailynn Doyle
At Home Instead Senior Care, we customize our services to fit your needs. We provide non-medical care to seniors and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Services such as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, shopping, errands, incidental transportation and personal care are just some of the most popular. All of our CAREGivers are thoroughly screened - criminal background check, driving record check, social security trace, sex offender list, and six references. We are available for free consultations 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Call 508.984.7900 or visit www.HomeInstead.com/673 for more information.
Sailynn Doyle is the owner of Home Instead Senior Care in North Dartmouth, located at 634 State Road (Route 6), Unit A1. The North Dartmouth office serves all of Southeastern Massachusetts. They are available for free consultations 24/7. Please call 508.984.7900 or visit www.homeinstead.com/673 for more information. Each office is an independently owned and operated franchise of Home Instead, Inc., the world's largest provider of non-medical in-home care services for seniors.
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