When a senior family member lives at home and has either fallen ill, or developed a cognitive impairment, like dementia, it often falls on the family of that person to help take care of them. Often times, they’re called a family caregiver. This title, as loving as it may sound, unfortunately, it can be a heavy burden to bear.
Family caregivers, according to a recent study can spend as many as 100 hours, or more, caring for their family member. This is likely unpaid, affects their personal life, and can greatly affect their mental and physical health. The stress of caring for an ill family member can be debilitating for numerous reasons. Often, these family members are people that are revered and seeing them in such a condition can break the heart. Also, most of the time family caregivers are not trained in a way that can effectively help their family member.
All the hours spent and all the mental and physical exhaustion can reduce the bond between family members. Being a family caregiver can be so draining that there are now support groups for those affected. These groups are absolutely great for those that need them. But, the real question is, isn’t time more effectively spent all around building bonds and trying to bring each other closer. It’s been proven time and time again that family caregivers and the ones they care for have a weakened bond. This is because the children, for example, see their parents in a vulnerable state, and in the process, become burnt out by all the hours spent caring for them. The other side of the coin is that the ones being cared for can feel weak and become depressed because their children are caring for them.
Being a family caregiver is not only draining on the mind and body, it can also drain your health. It was been shown that family caregivers are more likely to develop illness themselves due to the high stress of the position. Family caregivers are more likely to get sick with viruses like the flu than those that aren’t family caregivers. This is because stress, however superficial it may seem, actually has the ability to lower our immune system’s abilities. This can allow for various illnesses to creep by and actually do harm.
Bonaventure Senior Living Can Help
Senior years are a time for retirement. They’re a time to live life on your terms and really have some fun, relax, and just enjoy things, like family. When you’re a family caregiver, you don’t get to just enjoy your relative, because you’re working, stressing, and exhausted.
Sure, you could hire an in-home health care specialist. But, unfortunately, chances are they will only be able to be with your family member for a certain amount of time. Round-the-clock care for an in-home service can be staggering. Bonaventure Senior Living can make things considerably better.
We offer round-the-clock care, 24/7, 365. Not only do we ensure that your family member is getting the best care possible, we also make sure they’re enjoying their retirement. Those that live in senior living communities have been shown to be happier, healthier, and have better relationships with their family members.
At a Bonaventure Senior Living community you can rest assured that your relative is getting professional care, a great diet (that tastes amazing, too), fun and engaging activities and outings, fitness, and more. This gives you the time to live your life and just be a family member to your loved on, and not a family caregiver.
The best way to find out if a Bonaventure Senior Living community is right for you or your loved one is to simply book a tour at a community that’s near you. Visit: https://bonaventuresenior.com/retirement-perfected/book-a-tour/ and discover Retirement Perfected.
