What Are the Four Leading Stressors Affecting Seniors?
During April’s Stress Awareness Month, it’s a good time to revisit common stressors. In 1967, Holmes and Rahe created the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. For a senior citizen, there are some events that have a higher chance of happening due to their age. These four life events are things seniors face due to their age.
Senior Care in Spokane WA: Leading Stressors for Seniors
How many of these four are something your mom or dad may be dealing with now? Recognizing stressors and the effects of stress is an important part of helping your parent learn how to handle it before it becomes overwhelming.
1. A Spouse’s Death.
After decades together, a spouse’s death is painful. Even if there’s a chronic disease, the actual death can be saddening and shocking. It’s not hard to imagine why the death of a spouse can lead to depression.
There’s no way to stop the inevitable, but you can alleviate stress by having a plan of action in place. Make sure there’s a current will, medical power of attorney, and financial power of attorney in place. Have a list of bills that need to be paid and passwords to get into important accounts and files.
2. A Close Family Member’s Death.
While the death of a spouse is hard, the loss of a sibling, child, aunt, uncle, or cousin is also stressful. If this happens to your mom or dad, spend extra time with them. Old photos can be a great way to reminisce and remember the good times.
3. Personal Illness or Injury.
Being diagnosed with a chronic condition is one of the highest ranking stressors on the list. For seniors, cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, and arthritis are some of the most common chronic conditions. There is going to be fear of the unknown and stress as medical treatments begin. Surgical treatments can be extremely alarming to a senior.
What’s most important is for your parent to have a strong support team. While they heal or get used to medications, they’ll need a caregiver to help with medication reminders, transportation, and help while getting up and moving around. Senior care services can cover any gaps you can’t fill due to your own commitments.
4. Retirement.
Retirement is an adjustment for your parents. Finances change. Living off of a fixed income as the cost of living increases is one of the ways it’s stressful. It’s also hard to be at home without talking to the same people you’ve worked with for years.
After retirement, your mom or dad may start becoming lonely. They may stop going out and become a little isolated. Caregivers are a solution to loneliness.
Call us today to discuss the areas where your parent is stressed and could use help. Even if your mom or dad simply needs someone to talk to and play games with once a week, it can keep stress from worsening.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Spokane, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088
Sources:
https://www.acc.com/aboutacc/newsroom/pressreleases/upload/srrs.pdf
His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.
This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.
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