Ways to Relieve Stress when Caring for a Sick or Elderly Person

Anyone who has taken care of an elderly or sick person at one time or another, knows the stress that comes along with it. It is practically a 24 hour job. You hardly have any time to yourself and you have many sleepless nights. My mother was sick with a disease and now my grandfather who is in his nineties, needs to be taken care of like a baby.

If you do not find ways to relieve your stress, you will end up getting sick yourself. You need to avoid this in every way possible and look out for yourself. The last thing that many family members want to do is to put their loved one in a nursing home. They do not get the proper attention and care that they get at home. No one is as patient as a family member. My grandfather's problem is that he has has a lot of pain in his hip and right now he cannot sleep on a bed. If we were to put him in a nursing home, they would sedate him heavily until he died. His mind is too alert for that. So, if a nursing home is not an option, then someone has to take care of the elderly or sick person. Many times it ends up being a family member.

If you are the person that ends up taking care of a family member, you must find ways to get out and live as normal a life as you can. Taking care of someone full time can be very depressing and eventually take a huge toll on your body. When my mom was sick, my father and I took turns going out to a store, church or wherever. It is not healthy for anyone to just be stuck in a house constantly.

If your insurance allows for this, maybe a full or part time nurse or aide could come for a few hours. During this time, you can get out to a store or wherever you need to go. Rest is so important. If you are up at night with this sick or elderly person, most likely you will need to take a nap during the day. You need to be refreshed to continue caring for the person.

Ask family members to relieve you from time to time. Perhaps a schedule could be set up and a different person can come each day. Any help that you can get, is very much welcomed and appreciated.

If at all possible, it would be a great idea to get away for even a few days. Go sit by the water, go to a hotel, play a sport that you like, etc.

These are all tips of things that you can do to help yourself get through these difficult times. I know from experience that it is not easy to take care of a sick or elderly person.