Caregiving for a loved one full-time can be stressful. Just ask Lisa Carter: “It’s hard to admit that you can’t do this day in and day out,” she says. “But it’s not an eight-hour shift. It’s a 24-hour shift. I was feeling stress and burnout big time.”
There are many stressors involved with caregiving. Common causes of caregiver stress include role confusion, unrealistic expectations, financial pressures, fear or uncertainty, demands of care, and social isolation.
Caregiving has so many features of a chronic stress experience that researchers have used it as a model for studying the health effects of chronic stress. Because family caregivers often sacrifice their own health and well-being to care for their loved ones, they are sometimes referred to as the “invisible second patient.”
There are many advantages to assisted living for your loved one. Senior who may have been isolated at home can easily socialize with peers. Aging parents who were not eating well on their own can enjoy a fine-dining experience every day of the week. Previous interests and activities that may have become difficult or even become impossible to do become possible again when team members help them find a sense of purpose.
Assisted living enhances the quality of life for family members, too.
With a career, family, or other responsibilities, it can be a juggling act to balance the changing needs of a loved one with other things. In an assisted living community, there are team members who see them daily. It is their job, in one way or another, to care for your loved one. If Mom or Dad experience a slight change in attitude, appetite or social inclinations, they will notice. Having people around to notice the warning signs of these changes allows them to intervene quickly and help your parent live a life of purpose and fulfillment — and you get peace of mind.
The following infographic highlights evidence that family members of moved-in seniors feel their quality of life improve.
If you are wondering how assisted living can improve not only improve the quality of life for your loved one but also yourself, download our eBook From Guilt to Gratitude: How Highgate Senior Living Helped My Family Feel Good Again.