Over the past two and a half years, the biggest catalyst of change in the senior care community has been the COVID-19 virus. It has impacted both professional and informal care, prompting change, often at the cost of great heartbreak and sorrow. No one has been spared from the devastation of the pandemic during this time.
New data is emerging that helps us to better understand the toll that the pandemic has taken on family caregivers. It seems that caregivers who dealt firsthand with COVID have faced care complications that other family caregivers have not experienced.
For example, COVID-19 often presented itself with noticeable cognitive changes when seniors experience extreme symptoms. When it comes to the toll taken on family caregivers, this proved to be far more stressful than expected. Additionally, seniors that had COVID tended to suffer from more extreme infections, isolation, and issues with mental health. These things can be common in seniors, but they were far more pronounced than initially expected because of complications arising from the pandemic.
One of the biggest helps that the authors of a new study pointed to was to have a team in mind when it comes to helping. They published their findings in a recent release of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. The team also stated that having supplies and resources on hand or ready to go could also make family care easier.
Senior care is hard, and caring for an older loved one is no different. It was like that before the COVID pandemic and it’s like that now. Loving your older parent or grandparent is important, but it doesn’t make the difficulty of elder care disappear. When you are helping another person, day in and day out, it takes a toll on you–no matter how much you love them. When that person struggles with an advanced set of needs like many senior citizens do, it makes it that much harder.
Family care is perfect for a lot of different situations. It might even be perfect for you and your family right now. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re caring for an older loved one, I tip my hat to you. It’s not easy; it’s a labor of love. And odds are, you are doing a wonderful job.
But we all need help from time to time. Whether it’s support from friends or family members, or relying on a professional caregiver once in a while to step in and help with respite care, having the help of a team only makes the care that you provide stronger.
We’re here for you. If you have questions about in-home care, respite care, or just care in general, please feel free to reach out. One of our trained professionals would be happy to help answer your questions and point you toward the resources that might help you during a free consultation session, if that’s what you’re looking for. A free consultation session is exactly that–free. There’s no pressure or obligation on your end.
Give us a call or send an email to get started. We’re happy to help!
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