6 Ways to Relieve Anxiety in Elderly People
The symptoms of anxiety interfere with the ability to enjoy life. Your senior loved one may worry about things he or she cannot control for the majority of the day, or he or she may have physical symptoms that mimic other health conditions. Help your loved one soothe his or her anxiety with these six tips.
1. Check for Physical Health Causes
Anxiety symptoms can sometimes be caused by problems with health. For instance, your loved one may attribute shortness of breath to anxiety he or she had in the past when it’s actually caused by a respiratory illness. Schedule a checkup and mention the anxiety symptoms. Your loved one’s doctor may be able to adjust medications or prescribe new ones that get the symptoms under control.
Anxiety is one of many components that can contribute to decreased mental and physical health in seniors. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of senior home care. Dallas families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
2. Promote Restful Sleep
Fatigue can cause anxiety or make an existing mental health condition worse, which often becomes a negative cycle, since seniors with anxiety often also find it difficult to get proper rest at night. Make a sleep hygiene plan for your loved one that helps him or her relax. Putting the phone away and playing soft music are some options that can ease bedtime anxiety and help your loved one sleep a full eight hours.
3. Keep Their Minds Occupied During the Day
Anxiety may cause your loved one to obsess over the same concerns throughout the day. Give your loved one plenty of activities to do so he or she doesn’t have time to worry so much. Lunch dates with friends, outings in the community, and hobbies at home are all ways to keep the mind occupied.
Seniors who don’t manage their anxiety well could develop serious illnesses, making it a challenge to care for themselves on their own. If your senior loved one needs around-the-clock assistance at home, the Dallas live-in care professionals at Home Care Assistance are here to help. Our proprietary Balanced Care Method was designed to promote longevity by encouraging seniors to focus on healthy eating, regular exercise, mental engagement, and other important lifestyle factors.
4. Consider Professional Counseling
Your loved one may need professional counseling to address anxiety, especially if it stems from a painful personal situation such as the loss of a loved one or a recent accident. Talking to a counselor gives your loved one an outlet, and a professional may have additional solutions for managing the symptoms.
5. Delegate Tasks That Trigger Anxiety
Your loved one’s anxiety may have a valid cause. For example, many seniors develop anxiety about driving after they experience changes in their hearing or vision. While you don’t want to encourage your loved one to give up things he or she enjoys, it may be time to delegate tasks that cause extreme worry. For driving anxiety, you can appoint a caregiver to drive your loved one to appointments, soothe anxiety about managing finances, and make sure his or her bills are paid.
6. Help with Strategies for Managing Stress
There are many known ways to reduce stress that contributes to anxiety. Help your loved one try strategies such as mindful meditation that can help him or her relax whenever an anxious thought enters his or her mind. Deep breathing, listening to music, and journaling are a few more ideas for your loved one to try.
Anxiety can result in mental, emotional, and physical challenges, but seniors don’t have to manage them alone. In Dallas, home care service agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy. To hire a dedicated caregiver, call Home Care Assistance at [hca_phone] today.