One issue family caregivers face is loneliness. Caring for a parent can cause you to change your activities and plans. Social activities are one of the first things you’ll push aside.
Why does this happen?
It’s common that you have to balance your job, your responsibilities to your children or significant other, and the care your parents need. To make room for those three vital things, time with friends gets pushed aside. As time passes, your friends stop inviting you because they figure you’re bound to say no.
Eventually, your days become a cycle of work and caregiving. Some family caregivers have to reduce their work hours or quit their jobs. You end up lonely and isolated.
How Common is Isolation and Loneliness in Caregivers?
An AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving survey looked at unpaid caregiving. Typically, family caregivers provide more than 24 hours of care per week. Almost 1 out of 4 caregivers provide at least 41 hours of care. If you’re also holding a full-time job, you could be working and helping others for 60 to 80 hours a week.
To get enough sleep, you need 7 to 8 hours per day or an average of 52.5 hours per week. There are 168 hours in a week. By the time you deduct the hours needed for sleep, commute times, and the hours spent providing care, there’s very little time for other activities.
Keeping the time it takes to care for another and also keep up with work and home responsibilities, it’s not surprising that 40 percent of family caregivers feel the emotional strain. Between 30 and 40 percent wish they had better access to respite care. Very few realize there are elderly care services that can help them.
What is Respite Care?
Respite care is a service where another caregiver takes over while you go out, get some sleep, or go to work. It’s the best way to balance being a family caregiver with having time to see friends, go to appointments, run errands, or have time to yourself.
With a respite care plan, you arrange to have a caregiver take over for a few hours each day, once a week or however often works best for you. To schedule it, call an elderly care agency. The elderly care representative you speak to can help you create a schedule that works best for you and your family.
If you or a family member are in need of hiring Elderly Care in Coral Springs, FL, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770. Providing service in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Lighthouse Point, and Wilton Manors.
Sources:
Caregiving.org
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