Reducing caregiver stress helps prevent elder abuse

Long-Term Care | Dec 29, 2014 | Hook Law Center

Elder abuse has long been associated with the stress caregivers experience when providing care for older loved ones. Reducing caregiver stress is a key factor in preventing the abuse and neglect of elders.

As much of health care moves out of hospitals and into homes, caregivers are charged with providing care to increasingly ill loved ones in increasingly complex ways. At the same time, caregivers experience emotional stress from seeing the physical or cognitive decline of a loved one.

Anyone can be a caregiver, but caregivers are most likely to be middle-aged women who work and who may also be the primary caregivers for their children. The time commitment and physical commitment of providing care can be profound. In some cases, this mounting stress can be a contributing factor to the abuse or neglect of an elder.

Self-care is a key factor in reducing caregiver stress. Caregivers should develop healthy coping skills, such as taking time away from the elder, exercising, socializing or participating in hobbies.

A person’s family and community can also help reduce caregiver stress. For example, community respite programs can give caregivers a few hours to spend on their own needs. Family members can pitch in by becoming secondary caregivers and reducing the load on the primary caregiver.

One complex factor that can contribute to elder abuse and the stress of caregiving is the caregiver’s historical relationship with the elder. If the caregiver was abused by the elder as a child, the caregiver may experience a great deal of stress and complex emotions when caring for the elder now. The same is true for parent-child relationships that were marked by antipathy or apathy in previous years. For such individuals, professional assistance or other options for care may be best.

The elder law attorneys at Hook Law Center assist Virginia families with will preparation, trust & estate administration, guardianships and conservatorships, long-term care planning, special needs planning, veterans benefits, and more. To learn more, visit https://api.hooklaw.net/ or call 757-399-7506.

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