As people grow older, they experience a great deal of change. Sometimes those changes are good, but they can also have negative impacts. Often both types of change can cause anxiety which has a big effect on overall well-being. Understanding these causes can help families to enlist the help of companion care at home along with other solutions to alleviate the anxiety and other negative side effects that can come with aging.
Grief and Loss
Over the span of a lifetime, people experience a lot of loss. Friends, beloved family members, pets, and more may all pass away first. But seniors also lose other things, like physical capabilities, independence, and careers they loved and had to leave. All of that can cause anxiety about what else they might lose along the way.
Health Issues
Chronic and acute health issues all bring with them some big anxiety triggers for aging adults. Seniors might worry because they don’t know how health issues will turn out or they might worry because managing chronic health conditions can be a lot to handle. Regardless, having help from elder care providers can make a big difference when it comes to health conditions and anxiety.
Isolation and Loneliness
Seniors often become more isolated and alone as they age. Sometimes this happens so gradually that they don’t realize it’s happening. Other times, situations like poor health can cause seniors to self-isolate deliberately. Companion care at home can help aging adults to stop the habit of isolating themselves so that they’re able to get the engagement with others that they need.
Cognitive Decline
Regardless of whether seniors are actively experiencing cognitive decline or not, the fear of that possibility is incredibly powerful. Even minor memory issues can cause seniors to feel as if something worse is looming for them. Having help from caregivers can help them to get a handle on that anxiety and if they are actually experiencing cognitive decline, they’re able to get help sooner.
Fear of Falling
Another situation that causes fear, regardless of whether it’s happened already or not, is the fear of falling. Seniors are at a much higher risk of falling, and if they do fall they’re more likely to experience dramatic impacts to their life because of that fall. Caregivers can help them to be safer at home, also reducing that fear.
Changes to Living Situations
When seniors worry that they may not have control over their living situation, both now and in the future, that can cause a lot of anxiety. Having help from home care services can reduce this anxiety in a big way. By getting the assistance they need in order to manage daily tasks and handle needs, seniors can continue to age in place safely.
It’s vital that family caregivers understand what’s behind the anxiety their aging adults are feeling in order to put solutions in place to resolve those issues. Companion care at home is often a good way to start, because caregivers are there to offer emotional support and can often see some of the other possible causes for the emotions that seniors are experiencing.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING COMPANION CARE AT HOME IN SAN JOSE, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY. (408) 317-4969