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How Can You Tell if Your Aging Adult Is Overly Stressed by Her Health?

Senior Care in Katy TX: Some aging adults find that a new diagnosis or a chronic health condition creates a great deal of stress in their lives. If you haven't recognized yet that your elderly family member is stressed, you can't really do anything to help her.
How Can You Tell if Your Aging Adult Is Overly Stressed by Her Health?
Senior Care in Katy TX: How Can You Tell if Your Aging Adult Is Overly Stressed by Her Health?

Stress shows up for people in a variety of different ways, but many of them are recognizable, especially if you’re looking at the changes to your elderly family member’s behavior.

She Spends a Lot of Time in Denial

Denial can be very strong, especially if your elderly family member has been diagnosed with something that she perceives as terrible. By choosing denial, your elderly family member is hoping to avoid anything to do with her health and the decisions she may need to make.

She’s Withdrawing

Health stress can cause your senior to avoid the people that she loves and usually spends quite a bit of time around. This may be because she’s concerned about being a burden to other people or because she doesn’t want to be a “downer.” The problem is that she winds up feeling even more alone when she most needs the people she loves.

She’s More Angry than Usual

Dealing with health issues is frustrating. That frustration may often express as anger, especially at people who don’t really deserve it. Your elderly family member may feel safe expressing her frustration and anger at you and other people she’s close to because she knows that you’re not going anywhere.

She’s Sleeping All the Time or Even Not at All

Stress significantly affects sleep. You might start noticing that your elderly family member is starting to sleep all the time or she’s having trouble getting any sleep at all. Both can be an issue and a sign that your elderly family member’s stress is morphing into depression.

She’s Having a Tough Time Concentrating

When she’s stressed and worried about health issues, your aging adult is likely to have a tough time focusing on the conversations going on around her and the tasks she’s trying to complete. She may even find that she’s having to repeat the same tasks over and over.

If you’re still not sure you’re seeing signs of stress, talk to other people who spend a lot of time with your elderly family member. Senior care providers who see your aging adult every day, for example, can help you determine when your elderly family member is showing signs of too much stress.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Katy, TX, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.

Donna Wrabel, LMSW

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