It’s late at night, you can’t sleep, and you’re listening to the light (or not so light, depending on your spouse or partner) snoring coming from next to you. You feel as though you’re on edge, your mind is racing along a thousand different directions at once, and you simply can’t seem to focus. You know what? You might be dealing with the effects of caregiver stress and simply not knowing it.

Yet.

There are generally a number of signs that can indicate that you’re under a great deal of pressure, even if you don’t know it. Three of those signs could be:

1. Inability to get a good night’s sleep. One of the first things to go when you’re under a lot of stress is your mind’s ability to calm down and relax at night. If you’re having trouble sleeping because you’re worrying about things, then you’re overwhelmed with stress.
2. Difficulty focusing during the day. While this could also be related to fatigue, if you’re having trouble focusing during the day it could be the result of you struggling to clear your mind of all of the excess thoughts that are clouding your brain.
3. Heart palpitations, high blood pressure. When you’re under a great deal of stress, then you may experience difficult breathing, high heart rate, and an elevated blood pressure.

What can you do about the situation, especially if you’re a family caregiver just trying to do your best for your loved one while trying to keep your own life in order? First, you need to acknowledge the caregiver stress that you’re experiencing at this moment.

Until you acknowledge that you’re under stress, you’re not going to be in a position to do anything about it. In reality, focusing on the things that you need to do in order to take care of yourself are crucial to a healthy lifestyle.

Accept that you might not be the right person to be caring for your loved one. If you have a full time job, children of your own, or other obligations, then you’re going to experience an even greater level of stress. Take the time to sit down and objectively talk about the situation. You may find that getting someone to help caring for your elderly loved one is the best option.

It can also help alleviate a great deal of the caregiver stress that you’re experiencing, which may also help improve the overall care that the elderly individual receives.

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Donna Wrabel, LMSW

Co-Owner at At Your Side Home Care

For most of us, the word "home" evokes warm feelings of comfort, security and well-being. For older adults, home also means holding tight to cherished memories and maintaining self-esteem and independence. When illness, injury or age make life a little more challenging, remaining at home in a comfortable, familiar environment encourages recovery and enhances the quality of life. Home can be defined as a private residence, an independent or assisted living facility or even a short term stay in the hospital, we recognize the additional benefits provided by a personal, professional assistant.

Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.

Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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