Parkinson’s disease is one of the neurodegenerative conditions that gets worse with time. It affects the person’s balance, flexibility and movement. At this time, around 1,000,000 people throughout the United States and around 10 million people throughout the world have this health disorder. The complex condition also creates many challenges for family caregivers including social isolation, feeling overwhelmed, depression, anxiety, fear of missing out on care needs, and much more. This is when it’s important to rely on Parkinson’s care to support your caregiving efforts.
With this being said, there are many tips that you may want to use to help your elderly loved and to ensure they are getting the care they need.
Acknowledge Conflicting Feelings
There are times when you might feel sad and incapable of taking care of your elderly loved one. Your emotions might build the opposite, at times, and you might feel more present and capable of handling everything. The first thing you should do is to acknowledge the way you are feeling. It is normal to have conflicting feelings especially in situations like these. Once you stop trying to fight these feelings, it will lower your stress and anxiety quite a bit.
Recognize Your Limits
It is also important that family caregivers of Parkinson’s disease patients recognize their limits. You are only human, so you can’t do it all. Some days, things are going to seem off-balance and other days you might feel like the best family caregiver ever. On the tougher days, you may realize that you can’t do everything you used to. You may need help from Parkinson’s Home Care providers.
Schedule Leisure Time
When you are taking care of your elderly loved one who has Parkinson’s disease, there are going to be times when you feel you can’t take it anymore. Things are going to be tough mentally, emotionally, and physically. To help prevent burnout and other issues from taking care of your elderly loved one, it is important that you schedule leisure time.
Get Support
The final thing you should do if you are taking care of your elderly loved one at home is to get support for the both of you. You may need Parkinson’s care, family members, and friends to support you emotionally, especially when things get tough. Your elderly loved one may need to attend a support group for people with this disease.
Conclusion
There are millions of people who have Parkinson’s disease. As a family caregiver, you may find that your emotions jump all over the place. You may be able to emotionally and physically handle everything for a while, but your mental health may be suffering. On other days, you may be fine mentally and emotionally, but then your physical health is taking a nosedive. No matter what is going on, it is vital that you remember the tips you read here today. They are going to help you a lot in caring for your elderly loved one. Need help today? Don’t hesitate to contact our home care agency now.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Parkinson’s Care in Brandon, FL , please contact the caring staff at R.B. Home Health Services, Inc today. 305-220-6309
Sources
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03189459