New research points to the cause of things like certain types of dementia and depression: chronic stress and anxiety. And for those that are already at risk of these psychiatric conditions such as the elderly, the risk could be even higher. The study looked at both animal trials, and evidence from neuroimaging studies that were done on human patients in regards to both stress and anxiety. Both revealed that stress and anxiety can change how the brain functions, causing an impairment in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex.
There are millions of people in the United States that deal with stress and anxiety on a daily basis. To a degree some of this is normal and even healthy, but when it becomes chronic or overwhelming, like it can be with many people, then the long term repercussions become problematic and can cause psychiatric problems.
While eliminating stress from people’s lives completely is impossible. However, there are some simple things that can be done when it comes to our senior relatives and close friends that are pretty easy to do. One of these has to do with their activities of daily living. Many seniors struggle to complete even basic tasks each day, such as getting around their homes, preparing meals, cleaning up after themselves, or even bathing and grooming themselves. You can understand how struggling to make it through the day safely in these areas could be a cause of stress and anxiety. In these instances, getting them assistance has the potential to be a big stress reliever. And if the above mentioned study is correct, then there is a chance that assistance around the house has the potential to prevent mental illness and dementia.
As those in charge of taking care of our families, helping to improve the quality of life in our elderly family members should be a huge priority. Again, not every single bit of anxiety or stress can be removed from people’s lives, nor should we even attempt to do so. But, if we can do little things like provide a caregiver to help them get through the day with far less stress, then that’s something easy that we can do. Not only does it prevent mental stress, it takes a lot of stress off of the body, can prevent injuries, and ensures that our loved ones are being cared for in a way that they might not be able to do on their own anymore. With in-home care services, there is a lot of benefit that our families gain from the small, yet very helpful, actions of a professional. It is important that we go with a professional caregiver, too, as untrained caregivers will not have the same likelihood of providing stress-free care as someone that doesn’t know exactly what needs to be done. This goes for family caregivers, too. There’s no question that we love our elderly family members, but a professional caregiver has a depth of knowledge when it comes to providing care that even the most loving person might not have.
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