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Caregiver Stress

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Stress3

Managing Caregiver Stress

For people caring for a loved one, stress can be overwhelming to the point of debilitation.

Read this information to learn:

  • * Who a caregiver is
  • * What caregiver stress is
  • * How to know if you have caregiver stress
  • * How you can help manage caregiver stress
  • * Who to call if you need help

Who is a Caregiver?

A caregiver is anyone who gives care and help to someone else. A caregiver may support a spouse, parent, sibling. Child or another family member or friend. A caregiver may be giving support to someone else because of health conditions, age, disability or injury.

Caregiving can include many different types of activities, such as:

  • Cooking, cleaning, shopping and helping someone with their household chores/needs
  • Helping someone with their day-to-day needs, such as dressing and bathing
  • Driving or going with someone to health care appointments
  • Helping someone who needs you in many other ways

You may not see yourself as a caregiver… but if you are giving care and assistance to someone else, it is important to recognize the caregiving work you do.

I’m caring for a loved one. Is it normal for me to feel stressed?   Yes it is normal

This stress is called caregiver stress. Sometimes caregivers can feel more stress than the person being cared for. You may be so busy caring for your loved one that you forget to care for yourself. This can be tiring and stressful.

You may not want to take time away from your loved to deal with your own challenges… leading to more stress. Overwhelming levels of stress can affect your loved one too. They start to see and feel your stress as well. To help your loved one, you need to take care of yourself.

How can I tell if I have caregiver stress?

Sometimes, it’s hard to tell how stressed you feel.

Ask yourself if you are feeling these ways:

  • I can’t get enough rest
  • I don’t have time for myself
  • I don’t have time to deal with other family members
  • I feel guilty about my situation
  • I don’t do other things anymore, beyond taking care of my loved one
  • I have arguments with the person I care for
  • I have arguments with other family members
  • I cry often about the situation I’m in
  • I worry about finances
  • I don’t know the best way to care for my loved one
  • I feel my health is declining

If you usually or always feel these ways, you may have caregiver stress.

What are the different kinds of caregiver stress?

You might have one or more of these kinds of stress:

Physical:
Taking care of a loved one can be tiring. You may not have time to eat well and exercise. This can affect your own health. Helping your loved one move around or move from bed to chair can also be hard on your own body.

Financial:
It can be expensive to provide care to your loved one. Trying to manage all these costs can cause stress.

Environmental:
You may have gone through many changes to help care for your loved one. How you spend your day or where you live may have changed. These kinds of changes can cause stress.

Social:
You may be spending so much time with your loved that you don’t have for other family members and friends. Not having family and friends around for support can be stressful.

Emotional:
Different kinds of caregiver stress can cause to feel:

  • Helpless
  • Depressed
  • Lonely
  • Self-doubt
  • Embarrassed
  • Frustrated
  • Afraid

Sometimes, you may also start to feel angry or resentful towards the person you’re caring for. These feelings are completely normal, and they can cause you to feel guilt and stress. Knowing the kinds of stress you feel can help you make the right kinds of changes.

What can I do to reduce caregiver stress?
Here is a list of things you can do to help reduce the stress you may be feeling:

Take care of your physical needs

  • Make sure you east at least 3 healthy meals a day.
  • Try to exercise for at least 2 or more hours each week. Even a brisk walk can make a difference on how you feel.
  • Try to get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night.
  • Make sure you keep your medical and dental appointments.
  • Talk to your family doctor or another care provider for help if you are having physical symptoms of stress.

Look into financial and work place support

  • Speak to your employer to let them know you may need to go to more appointments than usual. It may help let them know what is happening in your life. Also find out if your employer has any family caregiver benefits or flexibility, such as a caregiver time-off program.
  • Financial help may be available. Talk to your social worker about programs through the government or other agencies that can help you manage all the costs. (See bottom of article for some links)

Daily living

  • Try to get help with some of your daily chores/routines.
  • Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Don’t try to everything – no one can do it all.
  • Ask for help when you need it and accept help if others offer. Even small things, like someone offering to shovel the walk or pick up groceries, can make a big difference in your day.

Stay connected with others

  • Talk with others who have had similar experiences, like a friend or a neighbour. Knowing you are not alone can help you feel better. You can also try a support group. This is a group of people in a similar situation who meet regularly to share their experiences. There are also online discussion groups or other ways to connect with people if you can’t easily go somewhere outside your home.
  • Talk to you friends and family regularly, and share your feelings with them.
  • If you’re a member of s cultural or religious community, find out if any programs or support is available through these groups.

Accept your emotions

  • Don’t be too hard on yourself. Accept how you’re feeling
  • If you can’t find the time to do things that you need or want to do while your one needs care or company, consider respite care. Respite care, which is short term relief for caregivers, is available to give caregivers some time away to rest or attend to other issues. For more information on respite care (see below).

Where can I get more help if I need it? 

Below are some general, Toronto based links… they can redirect your enquiry to your own region.

Family Services Toronto:            416-595-9618   

www.familyservicetoronto.org
Family services offer workshops on senior and caregiver support services, and also has counselling services, a caregiver support group and mindfulness seminars to help caregivers adjust to their new role.

Caregiver Connect:          

http://www.von.ca/caregiver-guide/default.aspx
A valuable source for caregiver information and support services. Visit the website and click on “Locations” to find contact numbers, programs and services available in your area

Respite Services:              

www.thehealthline.ca
Respite care gives short term, temporary relief to caregivers. It can range from a few hours to a few weeks. There may be a charge for respite care. To find respite programs and contact numbers in your area, enter your postal code on the website shared. Select people with disabilities.

Community Care Access Centre (CCAC)          

www.healthcareathome.ca     310-2222 (no area code required)
CCAC connects people and caregivers with health services and resources to support them at home and in their community. CCAC may also offer respite care. To find the nearest branch, use this website and enter your postal code and click on the map.

 Telehealth Ontario:         

1-866-797-0000        (TTY 1-866-797-0007)
Telehealth Ontario is staffed by registered nurses who can provide non-emergency advice or information. This service is open 24 hours a day. It’s confidential and is available in many languages. You do not need a health card to call.

Social Assistance in Canada http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/rng/lifeevents/caregiver.shtml
This link will help you find information on various forms of assistance such as the compassionate care benefit or the caregiver tax credit.

Canada Revenue Agency, Tax Credits and Deductions for Persons with Disabilities www.cra-arc.gc.ca/familycaregiver/
Use this website to see if you qualify for the Family Caregiver Tax Credit

Adult Incontinence Facts

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incontinence1Adult Incontinence is a normal part of the Aging? – Who ever said that. Get the Facts!

Incontinence is not a disease but actually a symptom of an underlying health problem. Unmanaged, it can lead to isolation, stigmatization, embarrassment, and even feelings of depression. The good news is that it can always be effectively managed and very often cured.

Urinary incontinence, simply speaking, means a loss of bladder control. If you leak urine (pee) when you laugh, cough, or sneeze, or experience sudden and strong urges to go to the bathroom, you have urinary incontinence. It is far more common than you might think.

Today, approximately 3.3 million adult Canadians have incontinence. This number includes people in their 20s through to their 60s and beyond – it doesn’t just affect the elderly.

If you are experiencing incontinence, or if you care for someone who has it, you know that it can cause feelings of frustration and embarrassment. Fear of urine leakage can affect your lifestyle and your relationships, but it doesn’t have to.

With the right information and treatment, bladder control problems (incontinence) can almost always be cured or managed.

Background

It is estimated that more than one in five senior adults in Canada experiences some type of bladder control problem, resulting in an involuntary release of urine. This condition is known as urinary incontinence. Again, it is not a disease. It is a symptom of some other problems with the body.

Incontinence can have devastating effects on the lives of seniors. It can limit social contacts due to embarrassment, can negatively affect feelings of well-being, and can also cause stress, leading to other health problems. Fortunately, there are a number of treatment options that can help restore quality of life for people with bladder control problems.

Different Types of Incontinence

There are four basic types of incontinence: stress, urge, overflow and functional. They may occur alone, or in combination, especially in seniors.

Stress incontinence is the involuntary leakage of small amounts of urine in response to increased pressure on the bladder (e.g., when you sneeze, laugh, cough or lift something heavy). It is present in about 35 per cent of incontinent seniors. It is more common in women, often because childbirth caused the pelvic muscles to relax. It also occurs, usually temporarily, in men who have had prostate surgery.

Urge incontinence is the leakage of large amounts of urine when someone is unable to reach the toilet after getting the urge to urinate. It accounts for 60-70 per cent of incontinence problems in seniors.

Overflow incontinence accounts for 10-15 per cent of urinary incontinence. It occurs when there is an obstruction in the bladder, which causes the bladder to overfill. Often, there is no sensation that the bladder is full. Then, when the bladder contracts, urine is released.

Functional incontinence accounts for 25 per cent of the incontinence seen in institutions. It often happens because a person has difficulty moving from one place to another. Poor vision, hearing or speech may interfere with reaching the toilet or telling caregivers of the need to use the toilet. This type of incontinence can also occur in the home.

Causes of Incontinence

There are many things that can cause loss of bladder control, but it is not a normal part of aging. It can sometimes result from a urinary tract infection, constipation, taking certain medications, a stroke, or an enlarged prostate. Depending on the cause – and there are many – urinary incontinence can be either temporary or ongoing.

Some of the causes include weakened pelvic floor muscles, diseases (e.g., muscular sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson’s, diabetes), stroke, injuries and the side effects of surgery. Incontinence is not caused by aging.

Certain prescription and over-the-counter medicines may be contributing factors. For example, diuretics (water pills) may bring on sudden incontinence. Also, heart and blood pressure medications may reduce contractions in the bladder. This could cause urine to be retained, leading to overflow incontinence.

Food and drink choices may also contribute to the problem. Alcohol can alter memory, impair mobility and cause increased urine output. Sugar can irritate the bladder. Caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea and chocolate, can cause the body to shed water.

Other factors that may contribute to incontinence include the following:

  • constipation – this can block urine flow and/or cause urine to be retained
  • bladder infection – this can cause or worsen urge incontinence
  • drinking large amounts of fluids — this can cause increased urine output

Other probable causes:

Disorders like multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, Parkinson’s disease, strokes and spinal cord injury can all interfere with nerve function of the bladder.

Treating Incontinence

Treatment depends on the type of incontinence you have, your age, medical history, and how you choose to proceed.

The first step is to have your situation assessed by a medical professional (e.g., a knowledgeable general practitioner, a physiotherapist who specializes in incontinence, a Nurse Continence Advisor or urologist). An assessment will include a medical history and physical examination, a mental assessment (if indicated), and an assessment of your surroundings.

Some experts suggest keeping a “bladder diary” for a week, writing down the time you use the toilet each day, any accidents or leakage, the possible reason (if known), and the amount and type of fluids you drink. From your bladder diary, your health care provider will be able to see the patterns of your incontinence, including the frequency and severity. Together, you can discuss the best treatment for your particular situation.

Conservative treatment options include the following:

  • strengthening the pelvic floor muscles by doing Kegel exercises
  • bladder retraining — this can be very effective in treating urge incontinence. Using the information from the bladder diary, the patient and health care provider devise a schedule for urination. The time between trips to the toilet is gradually increased
  • dietary changes — it may be helpful to limit alcohol, sugar, artificial sweeteners and caffeine. It is also important to drink lots of liquids, especially water, and to eat a diet high in fibre to avoid constipation
  • modifying your surroundings so it is easier to reach the toilet (e.g., installing a higher toilet seat or bathroom grab bars)
  • making sure your clothing is easy to remove or undo

Other conservative treatment options your health care provider may suggest include vaginal weight training, biofeedback and electrical stimulation.

Less conservative options include medication and surgical treatments, such as bladder suspension, artificial sphincter and collagen injections.

Minimizing Your Risk

If bladder control problems are affecting your quality of life, talk to your health care provider about the possible causes and the treatment options that can help you. Try not to be discouraged. In most cases, incontinence can be cured, treated or managed.

Public Health Agency of Canada’s Role

The Public Health Agency of Canada is committed to promoting and protecting the health and well–being of Canadians. Its Division of Aging and Seniors gathers and disseminates information to help seniors make healthy lifestyle choices and maintain their quality of life as they age.

Our Role

Notwithstanding the aforementioned article, incontinence among the elderly continues to be a challenge for seniors and caregivers alike. Particularly when caregivers are family members who feel uneasy about having to deal with implemented incontinence management strategies (adult incontinence pads). We at In Our care – Home Care Services understand these challenges. We are committed to helping seniors and their families understand physical changes and implement care plans that sustains dignity, manages challenges and promote well-being. We do this in your home, there is no need to institutional care.

Contact us… we care and we can help.