During the pandemic, Kaiser Family Foundation found that around 46 percent of older adults reported that stress impacted their mental health. While this was an unusual time, 11 percent said they felt that their stress affected their mental health even before it.
Several factors can impact how stressed your dad feels. If his health is worsening or he lives alone, he’s more likely to experience mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. While he may be saying he wants to be left alone, now is not the time to do that. Stress is an excellent time to start looking into home care services.
Companionship Care
Is your dad’s stress related to being alone 24/7? If he’s always alone, it can cause him to feel anxious and lonely. With companionship care, your dad has someone stopping by to keep him company. He has a home care aide to talk to each week.
While the caregiver is with him, he’ll have someone to encourage him to exercise. He’s able to enjoy movies and games with someone else. He can have his caregiver take him to stores and restaurants, too.
Assistance With Medications
When stress builds and your father is dealing with anxiety or depression, his doctor may prescribe medications to help him manage the condition. Remembering to take these medications is important, but it’s easy to forget a dose if you’re unaccustomed to daily medications.
To help him remember to take his pills, a home care aide can stop by and watch him take them. After that, the aide can make sure he’s okay and isn’t having any concerning side effects. Caregivers can also make sure that his prescription refills are ordered and picked up, or delivered, on a timely basis.
Transportation Services
Caregivers can drive your dad around town. If he struggles with driving, he can have his home care provider take him to stores and help him with shopping. He’ll have a ride to medical appointments and check-ups. If there’s a social event he wants to attend, his home care aide can drive him to that, too.
Encouragement
Exercise, especially outdoor activities, helps battle stress. Get your dad to exercise more outside with the help of a caregiver. He has someone there to hold onto to prevent slip and fall accidents on a snowy sidewalk in the winter. In the summer, the caregiver can make sure he has sunscreen on and drinks plenty of water.
Call a home care agency and ask about the services and prices in your dad’s community. Choose the hours he needs help, and schedule services now.
Sources:
https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/one-in-four-older-adults-report-anxiety-or-depression-amid-the-covid-19-pandemic/
