Porter Hills Home Care's Amy Rowland joined 13 ON YOUR SIDE at Noon to talk about caregiver stress.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
According to The Family Caregiver Alliance and AARP:
- 34.2 million Americans provided unpaid care to an adult over the age of 50 in the past 12 months.
- 65% of care recipients are female with an average age of 69.4.
- 75% of caregivers are female. Average age of caregivers is 49.2, many of these caregivers are considered to be the "sandwich generation" caring their own children as well as a parent or other elderly loved one.
Some common signs of caregiver stress:
- Feelings of anxiety, depression, isolation, anger, frustration and irritability
- Feeling run down and tired
- Difficulty sleeping
- Overreactions
- New or worsening health problems for the caregiver
Some ways to decrease caregiver stress:
- Create balance for yourself, taking care of your own needs first
- Ask for help
- Look into resources that are available (locally, Area Agency on Aging)
- Explore alternative levels of care; home care services, independent living, assisted living or memory care are needed
- Seek a support group
- Dementia Caregiver support locally at Mercy Health or Area Agency on Aging
- Cancer Caregiver support locally at Gilda's Club
- Develop proactive coping strategies
- Prioritize
For more information about Porter Hills, click here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.