Category: Caregiver Tips

Adjusting to 24-Hour Home Care: What Families & Seniors Need to Know

Posted on by Martin

As the baby boomer population continues to age, more and more families are embracing 24-hour home care as an attractive option that allows seniors to age in place, rather than having to move to assisted living facilities or nursing homes. In addition, 24-hour home care is seen as a more cost effective option that results in being happier and healthier. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that in the coming decades, home health care will become an increasingly popular choice for patients and family members.

Why 24-Hour Home Care   

Often, individuals start with home care on an as-needed basis. This may mean that your loved one receives physical therapy in their home following a surgery, or it may mean assistance with self-care, such as bathing and meals. This limited home care may be extremely effective for many seniors. However, as a disease or condition progresses, so will the need for more assistance to make remaining in the home a safe and realistic option, which leads us to 24-hour care.

Adjusting to 24-Hour Home Care: For Families and Seniors

Even though 24-hour home care is an amazing choice for seniors wanting to age in place, it can also be met with some resistance, anxiety, and uncertainty. It’s normal for family members and seniors to have these questions:

  • How will I tell mom and/or dad that they now require around the clock care?
  • How can ensure that my loved one retains their dignity?
  • What does this service entail exactly?
  • What adjustments do I need to make to ensure that the caregiver is also comfortable?
  • What if the caregiver isn’t a good “fit” for my loved one?

The best way to lessen the resistance and uncertainty regarding 24-hour home care is to become informed. Therefore, we’ve come up with a few ways that you can use to strategically prepare for and adjust to 24-hour home care services.

The Caregiver Is There to Help

The first thing you’ll want to establish is that the caregiver is simply there to help. Having a very clear understanding of what the home care provider will or will not do before they even begin almost immediately brings a sense of relief. Home care providers can assist with everything from medication reminders and medical procedures to housekeeping and food preparation. Sometimes it’s as simple as companionship.

However, no matter what their duties entail, it helps to know beforehand so expectations can be set.

Also, remember that you’re doing this for a reason: to provide your loved one with good, quality care. Having an around-the-clock caregiver can limit the possibility of wandering, medication neglect, and loneliness. Let your loved one know that you’re doing what’s best for them and what’s been recommended by a medical professional.

Listen To Their Concerns

If your loved one has concerns about 24 hour-home care, then allow them to express their feelings. They’ll feel better knowing that their opinion has been heard. Plus, understanding their fears will allow you to ask the right questions and find the best fit.

Finding The Right Fit

Sharing a living space with anyone can be challenging, especially if your loved one has lived on their own for decades. Therefore, it is important that when hiring a home health care worker, you not only look for someone who is extremely well-qualified from a medical perspective but also for a person whose personality meshes with your loved one. Working with a home care agency can make this part of the process a lot easier.

A home care agency will review the caregivers qualifications, run a thorough background check, and handle the details regarding employment laws and taxes. In addition, they’ll present to you caregivers that are the best fit for your situation.

Lastly, you’ll likely have an opportunity to meet with the caregivers before they begin helping in the home. Having the opportunity to meet someone beforehand will bring ease to not only you, but you’re loved one too.

The Transition Takes Time To Get Used To

Like most things in life, adjusting to change can take a little getting used to. The same applies to around-the-clock caregiving. Understand that it can take several months to adjust to someone being constantly in the home, but communication and transparency go a long way. Start slowly. Consider beginning with part-time care to ease the transition.

Getting the Home Ready

If you plan to have a live-in caregiver, then there are some federal regulations that have to be adhered to. For example, a live-in caregiver must be provided with their own room. Therefore, you or your family members may have to make renovations or rearrangements to the home to make it comfortable for multiple people. In addition, live-in caregivers are allowed an 8 hour sleeping break.

If scheduled caregivers come in for 8 to 12 hour shifts, then the home health aide is expected to remain awake throughout the shift and sleeping arrangements do not have to be made.

In either situation, you’ll want to make sure it’s easy to navigate the home and find items the aide may need for your loved one.  

Scheduling Changes May Occur

As they say, it’s much better to be proactive than reactive.This couldn’t be more true with scheduling. In the event that your loved ones assigned caregiver requires time off, then a temporary aide will be assigned. Let your loved one know that this could occur. In addition, consider having a log that includes helpful information about your loved one for caregivers. Information like their favorite foods, topics to avoid, and more could make transitions go over more smoothly.

In Conclusion

Home care can be an important service that allows your loved one to successfully age in place rather than having to transition to facilities that can be financially costly and emotionally challenging. 24-hour home care is extremely beneficial, but the process isn’t without hiccups. Often, going from living independently to having full-time home care can have its fair share of challenges, some of them emotional in nature. However, none of these challenges are insurmountable. With careful communication and planning, you and your loved one can embark on this journey prepared and informed.

If you have a special senior in your life that needs companionship, we at Community Home Health Care can help. Our staff of highly trained in-home caregivers includes home health aides, personal care aides, and registered nurses. We are here to provide personal and medical assistance, but most importantly—friendship. Please visit our website, call us at (845) 425-6555, or drop by our facility and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Organizational Tips for Caregivers

Posted on by Martin

Being a caregiver to an elderly parent is an enormous responsibility. You’re in charge of nearly every little aspect of your parent’s life and daily activities. It can be overwhelming, exhausting, and possibly even frightening at times. However, early planning and organization can make caregiving a little easier and less stressful.

Whether this is your first time as a caregiver or you’ve been doing it for some time, you need to be organized. It eliminates confusion, frustration, and wasted time. You may be reluctant at first because it’s just another thing to add on your “to do” list, but you’ll quickly find that it’s worth it.

Here are a few tips to help you get better organized as a caregiver. Note that if you’re a hired caregiver for an elderly adult, you can still use many of these tips, perhaps in conjunction with the family (primary) caregiver.

 

Gather All Paperwork in One Location. Get an accordion folder or three-ring binder with sections and place your parent’s paperwork in it. Label each section and sort accordingly—hospital bills; list of doctors/specialists phone numbers; list of medications, dosage, and what they’re for; insurance, and so on. Keep this binder in an easily accessible location in the home, and clearly labeled. That way, anyone else caring for your elderly parent (relative, home health aide, etc.) can quickly refer to it if necessary.

Maintain a “To-Do” List and Keep it Updated. Even if your elder parent’s schedule is relatively stable with few changes, it’s important to keep a “To-Do” list. Write down your caregiving responsibilities and activities, but also any family- or work- oriented tasks. You can use a physical paper daily/weekly organizer or an app on your digital device—whichever you feel most comfortable using.

Keep a Small Notebook for Observations. One of your roles as caregiver is observing your elder’s physical and mental health. That way you can note if there’s a change in say, eating habits or mental faculties.

Use a Large Wall Calendar for Appointments. In this day and age of smartphones and tablets, physical time management items seem old fashioned or unnecessary. In fact, having a large wall calendar displayed in a prominent location will help you stay more organized, because it’s always within view. You should still write down any appointments on your digital device as a backup. Furthermore, not only does a physical calendar benefit you, but anyone else caring for your elder and most importantly, your elder him/herself. It allows them to be involved in their own care.

Don’t forget to include any of your own appointments, so that there are no surprises. If a hired caregiver shows up on Thursday morning because you have your own doctor’s appointment, your elder will be well aware and not feel anxious or upset.

Utilize Other Help Services. As a family caregiver, it often feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything. If you can afford it, consider hiring outside services to take care of smaller errands so you can focus on more important tasks. Hire a housekeeper to clean twice a month. Sign up for meal or grocery delivery. Find a local teenager to mow the lawn for a fee.

If you’re really swamped, you may want to hire an outside caregiver. A second person can help share the load a few times a week and leave you free to tackle other responsibilities, or simply take some personal time off for yourself. Places like Community Home Health Care offer home health aides, personal care aides, and even registered nurses for hire.

Find a Back-up Caregiver. What will happen if YOU get sick or are somehow incapacitated? Who will care for your parent? Ideally you’ll have a sibling who lives nearby, but not everyone is fortunate. Consider asking a neighbor or close friend to help if you’re not able to be there.

Keep a List of Medical Supplies and Medications for Restocking. You don’t want to suddenly find yourself out of medication, bandages, or other important supplies. Keep an updated list and make sure that you always have everything you need.

Don’t Let Responsibilities Pile Up. As a caregiver, it can be easy to let small tasks slide, but soon you’ll find yourself overwhelmed. Bills remain unopened; supplies are alarmingly low; dishes aren’t put away; your parent hasn’t done their physical therapy in days. Take care of each task as soon as you can and resist putting it off, or risk forgetting altogether. For example if a new bill arrives, open it immediately and pay it, then file in your folder with all the other paperwork.

Find Senior-Friendly Gadgets and Accessories. Observe the senior in your care and look around his/her surroundings. Sometimes you may need to purchase a few simple items to make things easier for the both of you. For example, a large adult bib can mean doing far less loads of laundry. A grabbing tool can mean less time for you picking up items off the floor or on a shelf because your senior can grab them him/herself. Do an online search for commonly used products for seniors, and strange as it sounds, keep an eye out for “As Seen on TV!” informercials. Many of those products are aimed in bettering the lives of seniors.

Put Everything in One Place. Spending ten minutes searching for the right medicine bottle can be stressful. Organize all important items and supplies so that they can be quickly found. Put all medicines in one spot, all physical therapy equipment in a basket, all feeding-related items together, etc.

Don’t Forget Regular Household Tasks. Typical household duties such as paying the bills, doing taxes, walking the dog, even changing the air filter in the air conditioner can fall by the wayside when you’re caring for an elderly parent. Make sure to include these tasks in your “To-Do” list.

 

It takes a little time to get organized and significant effort to stay organized. However, you will find that you’re more prepared, relaxed, and confident in your role as caregiver if you do so. Keep in mind that you may encounter a “trial-and-error” situation, in that not everything may work smoothly right away. In fact, not all of these tips may work for you. For example, you may not be able to afford hiring outside services, or rely on a neighbor as a back-up caregiver. That’s okay; try it from a different angle, or just skip that tip and move on to another. Following some of the tips is better than not doing so at all.

Finding a Good Home Health Care Agency

Posted on by Martin

 

If your elderly loved one requires personal and medical assistance due to injury, illness, disability, or declining health, you may want to consider a home health care agency. Home health care agencies employ caregivers and specialists such as occupational therapists, companions, home health aides, and registered nurses. They tend to the patient at his or her own home.

With many home health care agencies available, it can be difficult to find the right one for your elderly loved one’s needs. You’ll need to do a significant amount of research before making a decision. Here are some tips to facilitate that decision-making process.

Note that there’s a difference between a home health care agency and a non-medical home agency. A non-medical home agency provides people who do basic housekeeping and personal care tasks. On the other hand, a home health care agency features specialists and caregivers who focus on more health and medical-related tasks such as administering medication, aiding in physical therapy, and monitoring medical equipment.

 

Why a Home Health Care Agency?

For many elderly people, staying in an unfamiliar environment—even for a short time—can be frightening.  Additionally, the idea of losing one’s independence and personal space can be disconcerting. Remaining at home, where he or she is surrounded by their personal items, family photos, and furniture maintains security and comfort. Therefore, it’s best for an elderly loved one to stay home for as long as possible but still receive the care they need. In addition, hiring help from a home health care agency is cheaper than a hospital or nursing home bill.

Another reason for using a home health care agency is that their specialists can supplement the current family caregiver. Many family caregivers are stretched thin, caring of their elderly loved ones while caring for their own families or working full-time jobs. Home health care agency caregivers can take over for a few hours a week (or even all day), allowing the family caregiver some rest and personal time, or maybe even giving up that role entirely.

Expect Some Resistance

Before you begin your search, discuss the situation with your elderly loved one. There’s a strong chance that he or she will object to a caregiver, which is understandable. Many people will feel uneasy, even afraid at the thought of letting a stranger in their homes. They may fear that they will be robbed, or worse. Explain to your loved one why hiring a caregiver is necessary, even if you are a family caregiver. If he or she is still resistant, offer a short trial of say, a week or two.

If they are capable, consider inviting your elderly loved one to participate in the research and selection process. It may alleviate their worries. Perhaps he or she can even accompany you when you speak to potential caregivers once you’ve narrowed down a particular home health agency.

Home Health Care Agency vs. Independent Caregivers

Some families choose to eliminate the middle man of home health care agencies and hire an independent caregiver. It’s a tempting option, primarily because independent caregivers generally cost about 30-40% less than agency caregivers. However if you go this route, this means that you are the employer and are thus responsible for various employment laws and taxes. You will need to do the background and credit checks for potential caregivers. You also have fewer options during emergencies. What happens if the independent caregiver is sick? A home health care agency on the other hand, will be able to provide a substitute caregiver. It’s not surprising then, that many families opt for using a home health care agency to find the right caregiver for their elderly loved one.

Talk to People

The first step in finding a good home health care agency is to talk to friends, co-workers, family members, and doctors to get advice. Ask them what they look for in a home health care agency and which places they recommend. Your elderly loved one’s physician may even suggest what kinds of specialists are required.

Financial Considerations

The second step is to think about your budget. Particularly, consider the duration of the required services—how long will your elderly loved one need specialist help? A few weeks or months? Indefinitely? And how many hours per day? How many specialists will you need to hire? These factors will affect the costs. Additionally, some places take Medical or Medicare, so check if the facilities you’re interested in are covered.

Initial Research

When you have a better idea of your loved one’s needs and your budget, start that list of home health care agencies. Look for the following information when you visit their websites or call them: licensing, accreditation/certification, and insurance. See if they provide information on their employees, including screening and hiring procedures, background checks, training (medical, non-medical, and emergency situations), and whether or not they’re bonded.

Reviews and References

Look online for reviews of your potential home health care agencies. Major review sites such as Yelp and Consumer Reports will have some ratings. The Medicare website has a section  on home health care listings as well. Of course, don’t just rely on online reviews. Ask the potential agencies for references as well.

Find the Right Caregiver for Your Elderly Loved One

When it comes to matching the right caregiver with your loved one, you may have to look to factors in addition to their training and skills. This is a person who will spend lots of time with your family member, so it’s important that they get along. It helps if the caregiver has similarities or something in common with your loved one. Some people feel more comfortable with a caregiver who speaks the same language as them, or is the same gender or ethnicity. Others may like spending time with a caregiver of the same religion. Ask the home health care agency how caregivers are matched, and if they can accommodate special requests.

 

If you are looking for a home health care agency for your elderly loved one or have any questions, please fill out the form at the Community Home Health Care home page and one of our helpful staff will contact you as soon as possible.

 

Differences between Elderly Caregiver Roles

Posted on by Martin

When we think of elderly caregivers, we often picture nurses working in hospitals or assisted living facilities. But the truth is that you don’t need a nursing degree to become an elderly caregiver. In fact, in some cases, all you need is a high school diploma and some training.

Caring for the elderly is a rewarding, but challenging experience. It’s not a career choice one should decide upon a whim. Before you decide to go down the path of elderly caregiving, first ask yourself these questions.

  1. Do you like working with people?
  2. Are you willing to work with potentially difficult, combative, stubborn, and even abusive patients?
  3. Are you physically able to lift and carry a full-grown adult to and from various locations such as vehicles, wheelchairs, or beds?
  4. Can you handle long, physically and mentally exhausting days and possibly nights?
  5. Will you be comfortable helping patients with personal hygiene, bathing, and using the toilet? What if the patient was of the opposite sex?
  6. Can you maintain a professional yet friendly disposition regardless of physical, mental, and emotional fatigue?
  7. Will you be comfortable speaking with the patients’ families regarding difficult situations?
  8. Will you be able to keep a cool head in the event of a medical emergency?
  9. Will you be able to emotionally handle a patient’s death?
  10. Are you willing to do all these things for very little pay?

If this list of questions didn’t scare you off and you’re still interested, then congratulations! You’re on your way to a fulfilling career in elderly caregiving. However, before you start applying to hospitals and nursing homes, you first need to understand that there are actually several types of positions available. The differences lie in how much education or training is required, whether or not you need certification, and the type of medical-related duties involved.

 

Personal Care Assistant (PCA)

Personal care assistants require the least amount of education, training, and medical expertise.

Job Description: As the job title suggests, personal care assistants focus on the personal care of their patients, with very minimal medical-related responsibilities. Their duties include running errands, bathing, providing transportation, preparing meals, general hygiene care, and companionship.  Some personal care assistants work with current family caregivers to help with more difficult tasks such as moving the patient from a wheelchair to a bed.

Minimum Required Level of Education: High school.

Training: Not required unless you receive federal payment through Medicare or Medicaid.

Certification: Only if you receive federal payment through Medicare or Medicaid, in which then you need a minimum of 75 hours of training to receive certification.

Medical-Related Duties: Simple tasks such as taking temperature, reminding patients to take their medicine, or collecting lab specimens such as stool samples.

Salary: About $25,000 a year (as of November 2018).

 

Home Health Aide (HHA)

Home health aides are a step up from personal care assistants in terms of training, certification, and medical-related duties. Whereas training as a personal care assistant isn’t really necessary, becoming a home health aide requires training and certification. In fact, some HHAs are certified nursing assistants or even nurses.

Job Description: Home health aides provide many of the same duties as personal care assistants related to a patient’s personal care. However, they also have the ability to perform more medical-related duties.

Minimum Required Level of Education: High school.

Training: Training for home health aides are usually on-the-job, provided by health professionals. However, similar to personal care assistants, home health aide training is required if you work for a federally funded program. You need a minimum of 75 hours of training, but most states require additional hours.

Certification: Not required unless you work for a federally funded program.

Medical-Related Duties: Monitoring a patient’s vital signs, writing observations in their patient’s journal, changing dressings and bandages, assisting in physical therapy or certain exercises, and possibly even administering medication.

Salary: About $24,558 as of October 2018.

 

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Certified nursing assistants work under the supervision of registered nurses, and thus act as go-between patients and their supervisors. Although a patient is cared for by a nurse, it’s the CNA’s job to help that nurse juggle their many patients.

Job Description: A certified nursing assistant does everything that a PCA and HHA does, but has more medically-related responsibilities. They’re closer to nurses than personal care assistants.

Minimum Required Level of Education: High school.

Training: Unlike PCAs and HHAs, training for certified nursing assistants is mandatory. In fact, in some cases, some CNAs go on to become RNs.

Certification: After training, budding CNAs must complete assigned hours of supervised training at a clinical facility, followed by a certification exam.

Medical-Related Duties: These include checking patients’ vital signs, maintaining medical equipment and machines, observing patients’ bodies for bleeding or bruising, and restocking medical supplies.

Salary: A certified nursing assistant’s salary as of October 2018 is roughly $32,108.

 

Registered Nurse (RN)

Becoming a registered nurse requires the most schooling, training, and certification. They are also entrusted with the greatest amount of medical-related responsibilities.

Job Description: Unlike the other three roles, registered nurses do not normally tend to a patient’s personal care and general errands. Rather, their primary tasks are medical-related. Therefore, registered nurses often work with say, a home health aide or personal care assistant. The nurse would attend to medical-related duties for a few hours, but the remainder of care comes from the personal care assistant or home health aide.

Minimum Required Level of Education: Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Many registered nurses continue on to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

Training: Achieved while obtaining an ADN and/or BSN.

Certification: Required.

Medical-Related Duties: In addition to basic tasks that can be performed by CNAs, PCAs, and HHAs, registered nurses can insert and maintain catheters, admit and discharge patients, take care of wounds, perform life-saving techniques, and administer injections.

Salary: Out of the four elderly caregiver roles featured in this article, registered nurses receive the highest average pay, with $73,550 a year (as of May 2018).

 

As the baby boomers continue to age, elderly caregivers become increasingly important in society. Not everyone is capable of caring for their parents full-time. Many need to hire professional caregivers to attend to their parents’ medical and daily needs.

Becoming an elderly caregiver is no small feat. Although it requires completing a certain level of education and training and the ability to meet the standards mentioned on the list, the most important things about elderly caregivers are that they must have an immense amount of compassion, patience, and respect for their patients.

If you want to start a career in elderly caregiving, or if you need to hire professional care for a loved one, please visit us at Community Home Health Care fill out the query on the home page and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

How Caregivers Can Communicate with Doctors and Nurses on Behalf of Seniors

Posted on by Martin

Being a caregiver has many benefits and drawbacks. While caregiving can be a wonderfully rewarding and inspirational career, it’s also a very challenging job, and many caregivers find themselves frustrated with the difficulties of their positions. Of all of these challenges, though, few are more agonizing than the task of trying to figure out how best to communicate with doctors and nurses on behalf of a senior.

For older adults, communicating effectively with care staff is often a difficult task. Thanks to cognitive decline or a simple unwillingness to speak up, seniors often don’t effectively express their needs to doctors and nurses, and the responsibility to ensure the senior’s medical wellbeing falls to caregivers.

While this can be a stressful experience for both parties, it doesn’t have to feel like a burden. Here are several tips for caregivers who want to learn how to communicate more efficiently with a senior’s care staff:

Communicating On Behalf of a Senior 101: 7 Tips to a More Open Dialogue

1. Develop a relationship with the senior’s doctors

Unless you have an ongoing relationship with a senior’s care professionals, communicating with them effectively can be a challenging task. Because of this, it’s essential to dedicate some time and energy to developing relationships with a senior’s doctors and nurses. The best way to do this is to attend as many appointments as possible with the senior you care for.

In addition to allowing you to get a feel for each doctor or nurse’s care style, this will also enable you to spot certain dynamics or difficulties and prepare yourself for how best to deal with the professional and his or her unique style of care and communication.

This is especially critical for caregivers working with seniors who see multiple doctors on a regular basis. Because each of these doctors’ care styles and treatment approaches may differ, it’s smart for caregivers to understand, as fully as possible, what makes each doctor tick and how best to communicate with each team to ensure the long-term care and well-being of the senior.

2. Gain inclusion in the HIPPA contract

HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) dictates that doctors, nurses, and other care professionals are not allowed to discuss a client’s personal medical information with anyone else unless the person is incapacitated and over the age of 18. While HIPAA rules are in place to protect patients, they can make it difficult for caregivers to access relevant health information about the elderly people they care for.

Because of this, it’s essential that caregivers gain inclusion in the HIPAA contract before it becomes time to speak with medical professionals on behalf of a senior. This enables caregivers to help seniors make medical decisions and to protect the senior’s overall health and wellbeing better. It also ensures that the caregiver will have all of the information needed should a major medical decision present itself.

3. Ask plenty of questions

Helping seniors understand and respond to medical conditions and care options can be difficult, and things like diagnoses and medical-speak are often far from easy to interpret. Because of this, it’s essential for caregivers to ask plenty of questions to fully understand a senior’s condition and what, if anything, can be done in some cases. This empowers the caregiver with relevant information and is an efficient way for caregivers to safeguard better the health and well-being of the seniors they care for.

While many caregivers shy away from asking questions because they believe they’ll be perceived as stupid or incapable, it’s important to ask for clarification any time you don’t understand something. Knowledge is power, and clarifying confusing explanations and asking for more information allows seniors and their caregivers to work together as a unified team.

4. Avoid assuming the worst

Among caregivers, specifically family caregivers, there’s often an assumption that a senior’s medical staff doesn’t want to help the caregiver provide care. Unfortunately, this makes it impossible to communicate efficiently and can have a drastic negative impact on the senior’s overall care and wellbeing. Instead of being combative with doctors or nurses, caregivers will do well to view them as skilled allies who actually want to help resolve problems and provide the best possible care for a loved-one.

When caregivers take the time to develop this type of relationship with doctors and nurses, caregivers and medical staff can work together to provide outstanding care for seniors without excess frustration and missed opportunities for communication.

5. Write down your questions

Many caregivers think of questions when they’re not in a doctor’s office. By the time they make it to the next appointment, though, they’ve forgotten their questions. This makes it easy to bypass critical inquiries and neglect essential queries that can help safeguard a senior’s health and well-being. Because of this, it’s essential for caregivers to write down their questions and bring them to the doctor’s office at every appointment. This ensures critical questions are being asked and prevents caregivers and seniors from suffering the fallout of forgotten information. 

6. Make additional appointments for additional concerns

Doctors and nurses are busy people, and they may not have time during a meeting to discuss, at length, all of your questions and concerns. While many caregivers take this as a sign that the doctor doesn’t care, this is seldom the case. To avoid frustration and ensure all questions are answered as thoroughly as possible, don’t hesitate to make an additional appointment. This can help facilitate more functional communication and avoid frustrations born from misunderstandings.

7. Encourage the senior to speak on his or her behalf

While caregivers must learn to communicate effectively on a senior’s behalf, it’s also important to encourage a senior to speak up wherever possible. Often, the message is a bit louder when it comes from the senior’s mouth, and doctors may well understand things better from seniors than they do from caregivers.

In some situations, it’s essential for caregivers to learn how to communicate with their seniors or on behalf of them. While this can be a confusing dynamic to learn, understanding different communication necessities and timeframes is critical for good ongoing communication.

Excellent Communication Starts Here

While learning to communicate on behalf of seniors can be difficult, it’s a critical skill for family caregivers and hired caregivers alike. By developing relationships with doctors and nurses, bringing lists of questions to every appointment, scheduling additional appointments for questions and concerns that will take more time, encouraging seniors to speak for themselves when and where appropriate, becoming included in a HIPAA contract, and holding off on assuming the worst, seniors and their caregivers can develop effective communication strategies that help ensure a good relationship with doctors and nurses and the best possible care. 

How Caregivers Can Learn to Provide Better Care for Older Patients

Posted on by Martin

For caregivers, learning to provide care for patients is an ongoing process. Even after dozens of hours of training, caregiving is a fluid process, within which things are always changing and adapting. Different clients require different care, mental and emotional upset can rise and fall quickly, and confounding factors like dementia and cognitive decline can make it difficult to connect effectively with patients.

As such, caregivers are always learning to provide better care for their older patients. It’s an ongoing process and, when caregivers dedicate themselves to it fully, it can overhaul the way they view their jobs and connect to their clients.

10 Ways Caregivers Can Learn to Provide Better Care

Providing better care is a process, and it requires learning new steps. Here are a few tips for caregivers who want to learn to provide better care:

1. Keep Yourself Healthy

The healthier and fitter you are, the better able you are to offer quality care. As such, it’s essential for caregivers to care for themselves. This means eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, staying active, and getting enough rest. When all these things are done, caregivers have the energy, stamina, and attention needed to care for aging patients.

2. Ask for Help

Sometimes, caregivers run into confounding care situations that can be very confusing. For example, what if an existing patient begins to develop Alzheimer’s? That changes the level of care the patient needs, and can be confusing for caregivers.

In these situations, asking for help is one of the best things you can do. Many caregivers hold the position all their life, and can act as a wealth of knowledge for caregivers struggling to adapt to changing clients, or striving to ensure they’re offering the best possible care to the people they spend time with.

While asking for help can feel intimidating, it’s one of the best ways for caregivers to learn more about their industry, and learn to provide the high-quality care their clients deserve.

3. Study Up

Reading can be a great way for caregivers to take in new information. If you’re struggling with a particularly difficult situation or making your way into a new facet of caregiving, read a book about it. Books like The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss can be comforting and illuminating for people caring for Alzheimer’s patients. In fact, there are well-written books available for people in virtually every facet of caregiving, if you’re looking for something that applies to your situation, do a quick Google search or ask your fellow caregivers what they’d recommend.

4. Take a Course

To continue your trajectory of study, look for free or low-cost courses in your local area. These courses can teach everything from caregiving techniques to self-care tactics that will quickly become instrumental in your caregiving approach. These courses are available through senior centers, caregiving support groups, and assisted living facilities.

5. Shadow Another Caregiver

One thing few caregivers think of doing is shadowing another caregiver. Ideal for any caregiver who wants to learn new skills, or is struggling to adapt to changing or more complex clients, shadowing a more experienced caregiver is an excellent way to gain hands-on experience and learn some new skills that can help inform and enhance your own caregiving tactics.

6. Reach out to Your Employer

If you’re a caregiver who works for a company, reach out to your employer for additional learning materials or educational courses. Most caregiving centers are happy to help educate their caregivers and will work hard to further learning in their workforce.

From books to courses and beyond, it’s highly likely that your employer will have some resources to pass your way. Remember: being specific about what you want to learn and what you’re struggling with is the best way to ensure you get the education you need.

7. Branch Out

While many caregivers believe that the education they should pursue is limited to the field of caregiving, branching out into other industries can be incredibly helpful.

For example, caregivers who are struggling to manage anxiety in their careers may benefit from learning about meditation or yoga, while people who are dealing with patients with Alzheimer’s may benefit from learning a bit more about the human brain, through a course in psychology or neuroscience.

Caregivers are busy people, and many think learning about these topics is a waste of time. The truth is, though, that a broad education is incredibly valuable for caregivers, and provides the extensive information and resources required to succeed in the field.

8. Join a Support Group

Support groups can be instrumental for caregivers. In addition to providing the mental, emotional, and social support caregivers need to remain happy and relaxed in their careers, support groups are also a great place to pick up resources and education.

By putting you in contact with other caregivers from different backgrounds and educations, a good support group can help you learn the tricks and tactics needed to provide better care, and to release stress and anxiety in the process.

9. Give Yourself Time to Rest

When you’re busy learning and working a demanding career, you need to give yourself time to rest and reflect. How you do this is up to you, but resources like respite care can be invaluable.

Even if you can’t take a long vacation, ensure you’re making small pockets of time throughout the week to reflect on your recent learning, unplug, and get the rest you need for the new information to sink in and take hold.

10. Participate in Online Forums

If you’re looking to pick up some new information about caregiving, head to an online forum. Popular places for caregivers from around the world to gather, discuss topics related to the field, and problem-solve together, online forums can be great resources for anecdotal experience and hands-on expertise.

A quick online search for “caregiving online forums” will reveal options from reputable sites across the U.S. To get started, try out AARP’s online caregiving community.

Better Caregiving Starts Here

There is no plateau point with caregiving. Instead, caregivers are always learning, adjusting their skills, and adapting to new information. While this may feel exhausting, it’s important to remember that the best caregivers are the ones who remain flexible and fluid, and that ongoing education is essential to providing great service. By exploring these ten avenues, caregivers can absorb pivotal new information and become more effective in their positions.

10 Healthy Outlets to Relieve the Caregiver Burden

Posted on by Martin

Being a caregiver can be an exhausting pursuit. While it’s important work, many caregivers feel burned-out and tired because of their caregiving duties. What’s more, many aren’t sure how to cope with the stress and anxiety their professions create.

Because of this, it’s essential for caregivers to have healthy outlets to relieve stress, get in touch with themselves and friends, and live happy, centered lives. Luckily finding a healthy outlet is easier than you might think! Here are our top ten suggestions.

10 Healthy Outlets for Caregivers

Whether you work as a family caregiver or a caregiver for an in-home agency, having an outlet is more critical than you might think. Stress, a major factor in virtually every chronic disease, weighs heavily on caregivers, and a good outlet is essential to blow off steam and cope well with the stresses of caregiving life. These ten outlets are great places to start:

1. Writing

Writing has been shown to calm the mind, relieve stress, alleviate anxiety and heal trauma, promote good communication skills and increase your memory capacity. Luckily, you don’t need to be Hemingway to do it.

If you’ve never written before, there are many ways to get started. Consider joining a local writing class or taking a writing course online. These guided formats are attractive for people with no experience in writing who want to get started in a group setting.

If you’d prefer to do it yourself, you can just purchase a notebook and some pens and jot down your feelings at the end of each day. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and write until it goes off. Don’t try to structure yourself or edit yourself as you go – just write!

While many people are intimidated by writing, it can be a fantastic outlet for people in high-stress environments.  Simply getting your brain out on paper can work wonders to reduce your stress and provide an outlet at the end of a hard day.

2. Ceramics

There’s no underestimating the importance of learning to do something with your hands. If you’ve never been a crafty person, ceramics is a great place to start. In addition to the fact that ceramics classes are available at most community colleges, universities, and local arts studios, ceramics is also a great way to create some lovely keepsakes for you, your family, and your patients.

You may also find that, over time, you enjoy ceramics enough that you want to pursue it as a hobby for years to come.

3. Exercise

Exercise has been shown to be more effective than pharmaceuticals at treating anxiety and depression. If you feel stressed-out and overworked by your caregiving position, blow off some steam with exercise.

A good 30-minute run, brisk hike, long yoga class, or walk with your dog is a great way to get the feel-good energy flowing, and to manage stress caused by your work. What’s more, exercise also keeps your heart healthy, fights weight gain, and helps you sleep better at night.

Not sure where to start with exercise? Don’t go it alone. Partner with an active friend or join a gym, most of which offer a few personal training sessions with new memberships. This will help you learn to work out safely and correctly.  

4. Therapy

Therapy can be invaluable for people struggling to manage the stress of their caregiving positions. For best results, seek out a therapist with experience working with caregivers.

While many people believe that therapy won’t help them, it can be a fantastic way to handle the stress and difficulties of caregiving and find healthier ways to cope with difficult emotions like grief and sadness.

5. Support Groups

Like therapy, support groups provide an important bouncing-off point for people who work in stressful professions like caregiving. In a support group, you’ll find a dedicated group of like-minded individuals who understand your struggles and can work with you to help alleviate them.

What’s more, support groups can work with you to turn you on to helpful resources and give you the tools you need to navigate difficult caregiving situations.

6. Dance

Dance is a great way to get your body moving and dump stress all at once. Never been a dancer? No problem! Sign up for a fun local dance class in your community or join a local play to get moving.

Designed to incorporate fun, discipline, and exercise all into one movement, dance is a great way to cope with the stresses of being a caregiver.

7. Meditation

Having trouble staying in the moment? Meditation might be able to help. Designed to offer the help you need calming down, getting rid of obsessive or difficult thoughts, and maintaining your center throughout the day, meditation is a great outlet for busy or stressed-out caregivers who need help coping.

Studies have also shown that mindfulness meditation is effective at resolving anxiety, which is a bonus for caregivers.

8. Yoga

Yoga combines breath and movement for a truly calming experience that’s also good for your body. Clear up kinks in your back with downward dog while breathing your way through a stressful day or a difficult situation.

9. Reading

Reading is one of the best ways to escape from reality and infuse yourself into a new and exciting world! Pick up a novel you love to escape the day-to-day and get busy imagining new and exciting worlds. It’s also a great way to combat stress and cut down on anxiety.

10. Meeting with Friends

Laughter is the best medicine and meeting with friends is a great way to blow off steam and help yourself recover from busy caregiving days. Make tie in your schedule to get together with the friends you love and cherish.

Not only will you feel happier and less stressed because of it, but you’ll also maintain your connection to the outside world and keep your finger on the pulse of the things that keep you inspired and exited outside of caregiving.

Healthier Outlets Start Here

There’s no question about it: being a caregiver can be difficult. Finding healthy outlets is key to coping with those difficulties, though. Luckily, activities like dancing, reading, yoga, and writing can help you work through difficult emotions and find healthy methods of expression.

Home Health Aide 101 – What is an HHA?

Posted on by Martin

Home health care has now become a popular option for the aging population as it is being touted as a cost-effective solution to increasing medical costs and hospital admissions. As a result, home health aides are now more in demand than ever. According to projections, there won’t be a shortage of jobs for home health aides in the near future so employment in this area is ideal for people looking to have a career in the healthcare industry but don’t have the money nor the time to invest in lengthy school education.

What is a home health aide?

A home health aide assists with tasks, such as bathing and dressing, keeping homes clean and safe, arranging leisure activities and organizing transportation for patients so they can be engaged in their communities. Some states allow home health aides to administer medication or check the patient’s vital signs with the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Most home health aides (HHAs) take care of a single patient at a time but others could visit up to five patients a day. The patients don’t always reside in private homes. Some of them live in retirement communities, group homes, transitional housing, or assisted living facilities. Case length may vary from a few weeks to several years.

What are the qualifications to become a home health aide?

Becoming a home health aide is not difficult. If you’ve taken care of a sick or an elderly family member competently, chances are that you’ll be a good candidate to become an aide.

Education, training, and certification

At present, there is no standardized educational requirement for home health aides. The requirements that the aides need to meet depend on the state where they live.

what is a home health aide42 CFR 484.30 is a Federal legislation that requires Medicare-certified home health agencies to employ home health aides who are trained and evaluated through training programs by their state. According to federal regulations, these training programs should consist of at least 75 training hours, which includes at least 16 hours of supervised practical or clinical training and 12 hours of continuing education every 12-month period.

As of 2014, 34 states and the District of Columbia do not require more than the minimum federal standard of 75 hours. Sixteen states exceed the federal minimum for the number of training hours, but only six of those meet the standard of 120 hours suggested by the Institute of Medicine or the IOM. Fourteen states require more than the minimum 16 hours of clinical training, with the required clinical hours reaching 80 hours.

Eleven states, including Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland, and Washington require home health aides to be Certified Nursing Aides and have completed the CAN training and competency evaluation. In California, Kansas, Montana, and Wyoming, Certified Nurse Aides may be dual-certified as Home Health Aides with additional training.

There are states that don’t require even a high school diploma or its equivalent while in other states, home health aides are only required to take preparation classes, which are usually offered at community colleges or vocational or technical schools before they begin working.

Home health aide certificate programs often take a year or less to complete. These programs teach basic patient care skills, which includes life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After completing the course, the graduates can assist nurses and other health care professionals, and they are ready to earn a certification if required by their state.

In general, home health aides are trained by other aides, healthcare professionals, or the patient’s family members. Because of the complexity of every case and because each patient has unique needs, aides may have to train for a few hours or a few days.

Government-certified home care agencies and similar employers often provide training classes and obligate home health aides to pass a test before beginning their first assignment.

Requirements to be a good home health aide

Due to the nature of the job, it is ideal for home health aides to be physically fit and in good health since the job requires them to assist their wards in activities in and out of the home.

There are also other qualities that will allow aides to perform their jobs well but these traits are difficult to measure because of their intangible nature. Here are examples of those characteristics:

Passion

Being passionate is important in any profession but more so in the healthcare industry. Having passion for the job and genuine concern for the patients allow home health aides to go beyond their expected duties and do everything that needs to be done for the overall well-being of their patients.

Good interpersonal skills

Home health aides need to maintain good relationships with their patients, family members, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. Because they deal with different types of people in their profession, it’s important for aides to have good interpersonal skills to facilitate the flow of communication to and from the various parties. Having this skill also means being able to handle delicate situations accordingly and tactfully.

Dependability

Patients and their family members need home health aides that they can depend on, especially since most of the patients are unable to take care of themselves. Knowing that they can depend on their aide will give patients and their family peace of mind that no amount of money can buy. Being dependable could be as simple as staying beyond the appointed hours if the other aides or family members have not arrived yet.

Patience

Patients come in different forms. Some of them are only physically challenged but others also struggle with mental issues that most people, even family members, would find difficult to handle. It’s not easy to take care of someone who has the tendency to be violent but even mundane chores, such as housekeeping can become a drag if you do them often enough. This is why patience is an important trait in home health aides.

What are the responsibilities of a home health aide?

The responsibilities of a home health aide vary depending on the needs of the patient, but their typical duties include the following:

  • hha responsibilitiesProvide basic health care services, such as checking the patient’s vital signs or administering prescribed medicines at appointed times.
  • Help patients in the performance of personal tasks, such as bathing or getting dressed.
  • Shop for groceries and prepare meals according to the patient’s dietary requirements.
  • Assist with eating.
  • Perform light housekeeping.
  • Organize the patient’s schedule and plan appointments.
  • Arrange transport to doctor’s offices or other kinds of appointments.
  • Observe and record the patient’s condition, appearance, or behavior and report any changes to the supervising medical professional or case manager.
  • Work with therapists and other medical staff as required by the patient’s condition.
  • Help with simple exercises as prescribed by a professional healthcare provider.
  • Enforce common precautions against infections.
  • Change simple bandages or dressing, help with prosthetic and orthodontic devices, or give massages, if necessary.
  • Provide companionship.

Other responsibilities could be required of the home health aide depending on the state where he or she works in.

 

Work as a home health aide can be physically and emotionally demanding. Compared to the national average, home health aides have a higher rate of illnesses and injuries. Aides should be especially wary of back injuries since they often assist patients in and out of bed, or help them stand or move.

Mental and emotional conditioning is also necessary because home health aides often work with patients who have mental health issues who may exhibit difficult or violent behaviors. Aides can also face threats and risk contracting communicable diseases, which could be avoided by following proper procedures.

How much does a home health aide make?

As of 2015, home health aides typically earn $8.10 – $14.34 per hour. While the salary of aides is lower than those of others in the healthcare industry, many home health aides consider their job as a stepping stone in the career ladder. Through additional education and training, home health aides can become medical assistants or nurses. Skilled and experienced aides could also teach and supervise new home care assistants and even students.

Employment of home health aides is considered to be a growing industry. In fact, it is projected to grow 48 percent between 2012 and 2022, which is faster than average compared to other occupations.

This positive growth could be attributed to the following reasons:

  • The demand for aides who could provide assistance and companionship will continue to increase as the elderly population grows.
  • Home care is a less expensive alternative to nursing homes, hospitals, and other similar institutions.
  • Most patients prefer to be cared for in their own homes where they usually feel safer and more comfortable.
  • Studies have shown that home care is usually more effective than care received in a nursing home or hospital.

Home health aides do more than perform chores for patients who are unable to execute the tasks by themselves. They also thoroughly administer care from helping their patients walk to monitoring their vital signs. In many cases, these aides become almost like family members to their patients because of the amount of time they spend with them and the care they provide.

 

Why Dignity is a Crucial Element in the Best Dementia Care

Posted on by Martin

Getting older: it’s something many people fear.

Often perceived as a lonely, painful, and vulnerable time in the human lifespan, the realities of aging are unpleasant, and the fact of the matter is that dignity can be difficult to maintain.

Luckily, a handful of world-class dementia care services are changing that.

While nobody can stop the aging process, care professionals who understand that dignity can and must be maintained during dementia care are going a long way toward improving the face of dementia care for everyone who accesses it. Read on to learn more.

Why Maintaining Dignity is Crucial to Clients and Patients Alike

Dementia is a challenging disease, and when a friend or loved one is suffering from dementia, many people find that they have an incredibly hard time accepting the change in the person they used to know so well. In many cases, dementia causes a woman who has been gentle and soft-spoken all of her life to lash out in angry outbursts or a man who has always treasured his family as his most valuable asset to forget his son or daughter’s face. These things can be heartbreaking for family members.

While there is no real way to alleviate the difficulties of dementia, or to make the disease simply “go away,” friends and relatives of affected people often find the condition easier to deal with if a level of dignity is maintained throughout. In addition to helping loved ones remember that even a person with severe Alzheimer’s is an adult, maintaining dignity can also assist in overall acceptance and coping.

While maintaining dignity is essential for friends and family members, it’s critical for the senior suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia. While many people mistakenly believe that people suffering from dementia are not “in there,” many are very sensitive and can easily have their feelings hurt by being undermined, condescended, or talked over. Because of this, organizations that want to streamline a more manageable dementia experience do everything in their power to maintain dignity for both the senior and his or her family members and friends.

How to Help a Senior Maintain his or her Dignity

While there are many ways to help a person affected by dementia maintain his or her dignity, the following approaches are commonly used by dementia care facilities for whom dignity is paramount:

Avoid condescension:

Again, seniors affected by dementia are adults, and they are very sensitive to being treated as anything less than such. Because of this, it’s critical for all caregivers to understand how damaging condescension can be, and how best to avoid it. This typically involves referring to things like diapers and toilets by more dignified names (underwear rather than diaper, for instance). Avoiding condescension with seniors can also mean avoiding the adoption of a parental tone and ensuring that, as much as is possible, you’re speaking to the senior the way you would have talked to him or her before dementia took hold.

Help the senior succeed:

People affected by dementia often know that they’re not the same as they used to be. They may struggle for words, work to remember a familiar person’s name or face, or lose their train of thought in the middle of a story or sentence. In these situations, one of the best and most humane things you can do is help the senior succeed by asking leading questions and ensuring that you’re prepared to fill in important details that the senior may miss. An example may include saying something like, “Mom, say hi to Linda, Charlie’s wife. You met her at the family reunion last year,” when company arrives rather than, “Mom, Linda is here.”

Don’t be afraid to tell white lies:

While we’re told all of our lives that we shouldn’t lie, sometimes dementia and Alzheimer’s necessitate the occasional use of a half-truth or a white lie. In some situations, it is vastly better (for both the senior and the caregiver) to tell a half-truth than it is to tell the truth and wound the senior’s feelings or sense of dignity.

Treat the senior as normally as possible:

In many cases, a senior who is affected by dementia quickly becomes a shut-in because friends and family are no longer sure how to deal with the person’s new way of being without making themselves or others uncomfortable. Unfortunately, this only wounds the senior in the long run and makes it harder to deal with the dementia adequately. With this in mind, caregivers must be sure to continue efforts to get the senior out and about and enjoy occasional get-togethers. Keep in mind that, while seniors affected by dementia or Alzheimer’s do have special needs and requirements (Take care to ensure any outing you attend will not overwhelm the senior, for example, and that all other parties on the outing are prepared for the increased needs of the senior), people who plan accordingly for social outings and gatherings can help the affected senior maintain a sense of dignity and engagement despite a dementia diagnosis.

How a Lack of Dignity Affects Seniors

While it’s understandable that many people are confused about how best to deal with dementia and its related symptoms, caregivers who miss the mark and cost a senior his or her dignity are ultimately harming the senior’s health and well-being. While pride may seem like a surface-level thing, it has profound and lasting repercussions on a senior’s health, wellbeing, and happiness.

In many cases, a senior who has lost his or her sense of dignity and autonomy will also suffer from decreased self-esteem and confidence, and declining relationships with loved ones. In some cases, this may lead to deep periods of depression, and even suicidal thoughts and tendencies.

Because of this, it’s essential that caregivers do everything in their power to help seniors maintain their dignity in the face of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. In addition to benefiting the senior in the short-term, this approach also helps to ensure that the senior will remain happy, healthy, and fulfilled as he or she navigates the complicated waters of dementia.

Dignity is Possible in Dementia Care

While many people assume that dementia necessitates a loss of dignity, this does not have to be the case. In many situations, people affected by dementia find that the upkeep of dignity is possible, just so long as they have skilled caregivers to help facilitate it.

As an adult ages and slips into the grips of dementia, figuring out how to maintain that person’s dignity can be difficult. Luckily, though, it’s far from impossible. By ensuring family and professional caregivers never condescend the person, that charitable white lies are used generously, that the senior is set up for success as much as possible, and that outings and social gatherings don’t stop just because of a dementia diagnosis, it’s easy for caregivers to help their loved ones survive and thrive in the midst of a dementia diagnosis.

What Is Stress? And What You Can Do To Control It

Posted on by Martin

Whether it manifests as a tightening in your chest, a quickened heart rate, or a feeling of imposing doom, stress is a common feeling, and it affects virtually everyone at one point or another.

Known to scientists as a highly subjective phenomenon, stress has a starring role in the everyday lives of most people. Related to dozens of troubling chronic conditions, from heart disease to diabetes and depression, stress is bad for your health and wellbeing.

That said, though, it’s unavoidable, which means that stress is something everyone must learn to cope with at some point or another. Today, we’re going to talk about stress: what it is, and how to deal with it, and where to seek help if you need it. Read on.

What Is Stress?


There is no single, linear definition of stress. This is because stress is a highly individualized experience that varies from person to person. The dictionary defines stress as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.”

For most people, stress can strike at any time and can be related to everything from finances to jobs to personal relationships.

What To Know About Stress

Part of the process of overcoming stress is understanding it. Here are five things to know about stress and how it manifests for different people.

1. Stress Affects Everyone

While everyone handles stress differently, the feeling is universal. Although some individuals cope with stress more efficiently or deal with it less outwardly than others, this does not mean stress is not present. Some of the most common stressors in life are money, work, family, responsibilities, and change.

2. Stress Can Be A Good Thing

While stress is often associated with negative feelings or emotions, it bears mentioning that stress can be a good thing. In some cases, stress related to things like a job or financial security can inspire people to work harder or perform better.

This, in turn, can improve the quality of a person’s life and create positive change. Beyond that, some people just cope with stress differently, turning what could be a negative experience for some into a positive experience or a learning opportunity.

3. Stress Is Dangerous For Your Health

While everyone experiences stress from time to time, chronic stress can put your health at risk. Stress is directly related to chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, obesity, and depression. As such, individuals experiencing intense or chronic levels of stress need to find ways to cope with the emotions so that it does not begin to impact their daily lives or their health.

4. Stress Can Be Managed

So, everyone experiences stress, and it can be damaging to your health. Where does that leave you? Luckily, stress is a manageable emotion, and people who learn to cope with the feeling effectively can limit the impact it has on their lives and well-being.

5. Some Stress Requires Professional Help

In some cases, the lines between normal stress and serious anxiety or depression can become blurry. As such, it’s smart to know that some stress, particularly the kind that is ongoing, difficult to resolve, or distressing, may require the help of an expert.

This is not something to be ashamed of.  In fact, seeking professional help for undue or ongoing stress can contribute to improving the quality of your life and making you a happier and healthier person.

How To Cope With Stress

There are dozens of ways to handle stress. No matter where your stress is coming from, or how bad it may be, you can use a series of simple coping methods to limit its impact on your life. Here are a few of the most popular:

Stay Healthy

It’s impossible to cope adequately with stress if your body and mind are not healthy. As such, one of the best ways to prevent stress from becoming overwhelming and to deal with it efficiently when it does is to stay healthy. This means eating well, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and making time for physical activity each day. When your body is healthy, it’s easier for your mind to be healthy, as well.

Take A Break


If your stress comes from a daily environment, like a job for a home setting, it can be imperative just to take a break when you need it. Even if the stress you experience in this environment isn’t overwhelming, anything that is pervasive will eventually impact your health. With this in mind, make time for yourself each day. If your stress comes from the workplace, for example, make an effort to get away for half an hour or 60 minutes each day at lunch. During this time, read a book, talk to a favorite friend on the phone, or take a walk. These small breaks will help you cope with stress more efficiently.

Talk To Someone


If you’re finding your stress excessively difficult to manage, it might be time to consider talking to someone. Start by calling a trusted friend or loved one, and then search out support groups for stress and anxiety. If that doesn’t work, you may consider enlisting professional help to teach you how to help with your stress.

Stress No More


Let’s face it: stress is a fact of life. No matter who you are, where you live, or what you do, stress will affect you. In some cases, though, stress can become overwhelming or harmful, and people who want to maintain their happiness and health and avoid the devastating chronic conditions caused by stress need to learn to cope with it efficiently.

By understanding your largest stressors (whether they revolve around money, family, relationships, or work) and developing functional ways to address them, avoid them, or cope with them when they pop up, you can improve your response to stress and live a happier, healthier life, starting today.