Are You Neglecting Yourself Now that Your Loved One Has Had a Stroke?

Senior Care in McLean VA

There’s a lot for you to manage as a family caregiver when your elderly loved one suddenly has a stroke. If you’re neglecting yourself, though, the situation is going to feel far worse than it actually is. Do yourself a favor and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself as well as your loved one.

Assess Your Emotional Well-being

After your elderly loved one has a stroke, you’re going to experience a wide range of different emotions. You’re likely to experience negative emotions just as much as positive emotions and it’s important to allow yourself to feel those emotions and let them go. If you have a friend to whom you can vent, that’s ideal. Another option is to find a support group and start attending meetings.

Keep up with Your Own Health

Your main focus right now is likely to be your loved one’s physical health, but you can’t neglect your own health. If you do, you’re going to wind up run down and unable to be there fully for your elderly loved one when she needs you the most. Focus on getting plenty of sleep, eating right, and getting some exercise. If you have your own health conditions, make sure you’re taking care of them properly.

Take Breaks and Be Social with Others

Many family caregivers can isolate themselves, particularly when a loved one is in bad health. You can’t isolate yourself so that your only interaction is with your loved one and her doctors, though. Make it a point to take regular breaks and to keep up with your own social interactions. Talk with other family members or your loved one’s elder care providers about filling in for you so that you can have time away.

Be Gentle with Yourself

Above all, you have to be gentle with yourself. At this time, it’s natural to start to expect perfection and superhuman abilities from yourself. The thing is, that’s unrealistic and even if you could attain those standards at all, the situation would be temporary. Give yourself the space to be human and do what you can for your loved one when you can do it. The rest will take care of itself.

Make a self-care plan for yourself and then make sure that you stick to it.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in McLean, VA, call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. 703-273-8818

• Author
• Recent Posts

Michelle DeFilippis

I graduated with a BS degree and had been selling medical equipment to hospitals, clinics and technicians. More recently, a family member was diagnosed with dementia and we, as a family, realized we were not prepared t care for her. We were thrown into that whirlpool of hospital stays, 24/7 live-in care, skilled care, caring for mom ourselves and finally, now daily home care. This was such a stressful time that I started thinking there had to be other people, other families as overwhelmed and unprepared as we were.

Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.

Latest posts by Michelle DeFilippis (see all)

• Do Your Parents Face More Challenges When They Live in a Rural Community? - November 6, 2019
• Ways to Ease Arthritis Symptoms in the Elderly - October 24, 2019
• Tips for a Better Life with Fibromyalgia - October 9, 2019