Mental health is always a big area of concern when it comes to the elderly, but we’re finding that it is a much bigger concern at this point than ever before. Although there are a lot of issues occurring right now, mental health needs to remain as one of our biggest areas of focus across the entire health care industry. That goes for senior care, general health, and even for the people that provide care.
During the pandemic that we are all facing, mental health continues to be a major concern. This is true of people that suffered from health issues before the coronavirus hit the U.S., but it’s also true of people that have never suffered from mental illness ever before. In fact, one of the big arguments against continuing social distancing is that the toll of people who are impacted because of deteriorating mental health could potentially be just as bad as people who are hurt by the coronavirus. Now, we know that this is not true of all areas of the U.S., like with what we’ve seen in Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles. Major metropolitan areas have been hit really hard by COVID-19. But in more rural areas where the virus hasn’t had a major impact, mental illness remains a huge concern.
Balance is needed, especially for caregivers. Providing care for another person is hard on the best of days, and right now, it’s even harder. But a caregiver cannot give quality care if they are mentally unwell themselves. You need to care for yourself before you can effectively care for another. This does happen on a frequent basis in the caregiving industry. It’s commonly referred to as caregiver burnout. However, we are seeing that caregiver burnout is happening on a much wider sale right now than ever before.
Mental health issues remain as one of the bigger issues that need to be focused on by care professionals during the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s really not a surprise. When stress levels are heightened, burnout becomes much more prevalent. And everyone is stressed right now. We are stressed, we are tired, we are exhausted. Caring for our families is hard, and providing care for an older loved one is hard, too.
Even during this pandemic, there are support structures in place. Senior care is an essential service. Ensuring that your older loved ones have the care, support, and supervision that they need is an important part of keeping your family healthy.
If you’re not sure where to start, give us a call. In-home care isn’t for everyone, but a lot of people do find that it solves all of their concerns regarding ideal senior care. Your loved one can remain in the place that they want to be and live their life as normally as possible, all while under the supervision of a professionally trained caregiver. It allows families to stay together and it allows for lives to remain uninterrupted.
Get in touch with us if you have questions. Care is a complex thing, and we would love to help you navigate it and get your family the help and care that you deserve.
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