elderly parent

Caring For Yourself While Caring For Elderly Parents

At Santé, we often see family members who suffer emotionally and physically as they take on the great responsibility of caring for a loved one. When caring for an elderly parent, you are part of a care team comprising of family members, doctors, and nurses. But it can often feel like you’re alone. That’s why having your own type of support is important in making sure you stay mentally and physically healthy too.  

 

Seek Help When You Need It

 

At Santé, we understand that caregivers need relief too. Our respite care service is designed to temporarily take over caregiving duties and provide support to the primary caregiving relationship. This type of care provides relief for a family member or unpaid caregiver. The duration of care can look different depending on your needs, ranging from a couple of hours a day to a limited stay at a care facility.

 

Some of the respite services that Santé offers include:

 

  • Light housekeeping
  • Safety standby assistance
  • Medication management
  • Wound care
  • Post-surgery rehabilitation

 

Give Your Mind a Break

 

Doing something that requires ultimate focus will give your mind a break from the many things it’s worrying about when you’re caring for a parent. Some examples of mind-consuming activities are yoga, yard work, reading a book, crossword puzzles and learning a new skill. You might notice that most of the activities are done alone. Time to be by yourself is welcomed relief for your mind to recharge. Even just 20 minutes a day of meditation can make a big difference.  

 

Console In Your Support Team

 

Feelings of hopelessness, insecurity, and fear can creep up when you’re pouring your time and energy into caring for a loved one. Especially when a parent is terminally ill, you can’t help but feel like you just want to fix it. Though your heart is in the right place, this can be a dangerous and losing battle. Avoiding these feelings is not always easy, but having doctors, nurses and other staff that you trust can be a big help. Be open with them about your concerns, even if it’s simply to say that you’re scared or you need help. The compassionate team at Santé knows that listening to your concerns is an important part of providing the best experience for our patients and their loved ones.

 

If you’re a family caregiver in need of support or know someone who is, we’re here to help. To learn more about the best options for respite care in Arizona, we invite you to discover the benefits we offer at Santé.

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