Stress « The Professional Geriatric Care Manager’s Blog

Boost Your Health with a Dose of Gratitude

December 23, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Deborah Varisco, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Health, Life, Love, Personal, Stress, Tips

The holiday season is upon us. It typically starts with Thanksgiving and lasts through to New Year’s Day. Giving thanks or possessing the “attitude of gratitude” is linked to and celebrated during the holiday season. Studies have shown that a positive emotion such as gratitude can guarantee better health. Gratitude has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, increased satisfaction with life, and kinder behavior towards others. Individuals who perceive gratitude as a permanent trait have been shown to take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations.

Stress can make us sick, particularly when we can not deal with it. Stress is linked to several diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. Gratitude can help us better manage stress. Research suggests that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems and stress. Grateful people are more optimistic, a trait which may boost the immune system. Optimism has also been shown to have a positive health impact on people with compromised health. Studies of patients preparing to undergo surgery had better health outcomes when they had attitudes of optimism.

Some people always manage to feel grateful, even when challenged by life circumstances. Others are not the grateful sort and sink into despair. If you are not the grateful kind, here are some ways to get into the grateful spirit.

Maintain a grateful journal. Write down things which you feel grateful for once a week. They may include a friend’s generosity, something new they have learned, or a beautiful sunny day. Research discovered that people who kept grateful journals were more optimistic and felt happier. They experienced fewer physical symptoms and felt better about their lives as a whole. They slept better and were more optimistic about the future. Counting blessings worked better than counting sheep.
Create a list of benefits in your life. Many of us take many things for granted. Making a visual list of some of the benefits we have, such as the freedoms we enjoy, will be a reminder.
Try a gratitude visit. Begin with writing a letter to someone who changed your life for the better. Deliver the letter in person and read it to that person.
Share the feeling. Do one small thoughtful or generous thing for a friend or a member of your family. As a result, that person will not only realize how much you matter to them, but are more likely to help someone else.

Trying these simple gratitude-enhancing strategies can improve your health and well-being. Gratitude is the best approach to life!

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management serves Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Orange County with nurses licensed in New Jersey and New York. We help families dealing with various issues related to their elderly loved ones and would be happy to discuss any concerns you may have related to long term care. Please contact us in our Ridgewood Office at 201-587-5283 to schedule a consultation.

Stress and the Older Adult

February 18, 2011 at 10:30 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Stress

Stress affects individuals throughout their life span, but in the older adult even those who have previously handled stress with ease may find they are having more difficulty dealing with the everyday stress in their lives. The reasons for this are two-fold:

There is a decrease in homeostatic capacity. Basically this is a physical cause in which the systems in the brain that respond to stress simply begin to wear out.
Older adults tend to deal with more chronic loss than other age groups.

Sources of Stress for Older Adults:

Loss – the older adult may fear the loss of:
- Control over their life or environment
- Physical strength and coordination
- A sense of purpose and productivity
- Independence
- Memory and other thinking processes
- Friends and relatives through death or social isolation
Health problems
Finances/Income
Relocation
Children/Grandchildren
Abandonment
Caregiving

Manifestations of Stress in the Older Adult:

Physiological
- Insomnia or nightmares
- Loss of appetite
- Increased appetite
- Heart palpitations
- Frequent urination
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Muscle pain and tiredness
- Headaches
- Weight loss or gain
Emotional or Psychological
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Frustration or agitation
- Depression/crying
- Restlessness
- Poor Concentration
- Forgetfulness

Stress Management for the Older Adult:

Involve someone – talking to someone about your concerns, your complaints, your feelings. You and your body will feel better getting things off your chest.
Take care of your own health.
- Eat right
- Get enough sleep
- Exercise
- Enjoy doing things that you want to do/Volunteer/Sr. Center or Social programs
Stress Relaxation Techniques
- Muscle relaxation
- Visualization
- Gentle exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates
- Listening to soft music
- Massage, including hand massages
- Aromatherapy
Pet Therapy or Pet ownership
Life Review
Active Social Life
Positive thinking
Smoking, drinking and substance abuse are harmful and should never be used to cope with stress!

If you have an older adult loved one who is experiencing on-going stress, feel free to contact Distinctive Care in our Ridgewood, New Jersey office at 201-857-5283 and we will be happy to arrange for a consultation with our Geriatric Therapist. Our Registered Nurse Care Managers can also conduct a complete assessment and develop a care plan to address all the needs your elderly loved one may have.

Stressed Out?

January 4, 2011 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Pat Linard, PR | Leave a comment
Tags: Seminar, Stress, Support, Tips

Stress! It’s a word we hear a lot about during the holidays. And with good reason. The holidays are not only filled with lots on everyone’s “to do” list but they are also a time filled with lots of emotion and expectation, whether it is anticipation of a special gift or social event or the letdown of a gift that is not so special or an event that didn’t fill our dreams.

But stress is not limited to the holidays. That’s why Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management of Ridgewood, New Jersey will be participating in a special panel presentation being sponsored by the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, February 16 from 8 to 10am. Breakfast will be served to ease the stress of getting out of the house for an early morning meeting!

The panel will focus on stress at all ages. Bergen County Mental Health will speak on stress in children and adolescents, Valley Healthcare will address stress in adults and Sophia Heftler, RN, CMC, CALA, CDP® from Distinctive Care will talk about the stress that older adults feel as they go through the aging process. And to ease the stress there will be chair massages and reflexology and lots of networking.

Attendance is not limited to Mahwah Chamber members but is open to the public. Nearby neighbors in both Passaic County and Rockland County, NY are welcome to attend. This stress-relieving breakfast will be held at the Doubletree Inn in Mahwah, New Jersey. Call (201) 526-5566 to make a reservation.

Caregiver Stress and the Holidays

December 14, 2009 at 10:00 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Caregiver, Holidays, Stress

As we all know as joyous as the holiday season is it’s also stressful under the best of circumstances. It can be even more stressful for those of us who are caregivers as well. As a caregiver myself I have become acutely aware of how the change in routine can effect our loved ones and how our unrealistic expectations of what it takes to make our holidays “perfect” can stress us out.

I wanted to share with you some of the plans I have implemented this year to make my holiday more joyful and less stressful. Hopefully some of these tips will help you as well, even if you are not a caregiver!

As many of you know, I lost my mother this year, almost 9 months ago. One of the things that I’ve done since before Thanksgiving is to acknowledge my feelings. I have given myself permission to feel sadness and grief and not forcing myself to be happy just because it’s the holidays. In allowing myself to acknowledge these feelings I have found that I’ve been able to find the real meaning of the holidays and spending time with my family; especially my father, who I am the primary caregiver for.

I am trying to be more realistic about the fact that the holidays do not have to be perfect and that they clearly will not be how they were last year. I have decided that it’s okay that things change and that this year we will be making some new traditions while cherishing my memories of the traditions my mother created. There is no such thing as “perfect” and I can’t expect the holidays to be like they are in the movies – I don’t have a production crew assisting me!

I know that when I get stressed out I invariably get depressed so I am going to be kind to myself this year. If things feel overwhelming with my father, I will ask my brother for help. If I need to take a nap after work, I will do so without guilt. I will also say “no” to the things I cannot do or choose not to do. I will not overbook myself because if I do I will not have time or energy to enjoy the joys this season presents us with.

As far as the overbooking goes, this year I am planning ahead. I have set aside specific days for holiday shopping, visiting with friends and planning my Christmas Eve menu and shopping list so that I am not scrambling at the last minute. I am going to have help on Christmas Eve so that all the work is not up to me.

I have made a committment to myself to accept my family members for who they are despite the fact that more times than most they do not live up to all my expectations. I will remind myself that others may be experiencing holiday stress and feeling depressed.

I am currently on a weight-loss program and I am not going to let the holidays become a “free-for-all” because I know that this will only lead to stress, guilt and frustration. I will stick to the healthy habits I have been developing and have booked time for myself to get physical activity and also will try to stick to my usual bedtime because if I don’t get enough sleep I begin to get depressed. I will also be sure to remember to do my light therapy to counteract the effects of our shorter, less sunny winter days.

My fifteen minutes…this is going to be an important part of my Christmas Eve. Since I will be hosting Christmas Eve this year I am going to take 15 minutes before my guests are expected to arrive to take a breather…to spend 15 minutes alone and without distraction in my bedroom listening to soothing music, clearing my mind and focusing on my breathing to help me restore my inner calm. I have also scheduled a 15 minute break to do the same thing after dinner while my enlisted help is cleaning up.

Professional help is something I am lucky enough to already have in place, but for those of you who do not, if you find yourself feeling persistently sad, anxious, unable to sleep, irritable or hopeless and palgued by physical complaints or unable to face routine chores that persist for a while, please talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and remember to take good care of yourself!

Memorial Service and The “Only Child”

January 13, 2009 at 8:00 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Advocacy, Caregiver, Family, Only Child, Stress, Support, Tips

Just the other day I went to a memorial service for a Client of Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management who had passed away. She was the mother of an only child and when I saw her adult daughter grieving it really made me think about the challenges faced by an only child caring for an elderly loved-one. Most people think about the ramifications of being an only child when they are young, but for most only children it is as they age and their parents become frail and elderly that the impact of being an only child becomes an issue.

Often the strong bond that only children share with their parents may mean that they take on the whole caregiving burden alone, often even though there are others around who are willing to help. There is a tendency to think they must sort everything out by themselves and want to give their parents the same 100% attention and dedication that they received from their parents growing up.

This often puts a strain on the only child as well on their relationships with others. Often times the only child feels torn between their own families and their jobs causing them to feel as though they are abandoning their own families and also to consider quitting their jobs to become a full-time caregiver.

Only children usually develop a strong network of friends – but need to be able to call on them during difficult times. The important thing for only children to remember is that they must let other family members and friends know what their needs are and when they need help. It is vital that only children allow themselves a break from caregiving to take time to enjoy the things they like to do.

Information and professional support are essential, though many people don’t realize how much help is available to them. Professional Geriatric Care Management is a service that can help only children cope with the challenges they face in caring for their parents. The Care Manager can assume so many of the aspects of caregiving, that the only child can get back to their own families, concentrate on their careers and get back to being the adult child of their parents.

For additional information on how Geriatric Care Management might be able to help you and your situation please contact us in our Ridgewood, NJ office at 201-857-5283. We are happy to speak with you and provide you with the information you require to “get your life back”.

Good News for Caregivers!

December 30, 2008 at 4:12 pm | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | 3 Comments
Tags: Caregiver, News, Stress

We have all heard so much about caregiver stress and the challenges that caregivers face. Caregiver stress includes both the emotional and physical strains of caregiving.

Some symptoms of caregiver stress are:

Frustration
Anger
Guilt
Loneliness
Exhaustion

Women account for almost 75% of caregivers that report feeling very strained emotionally, physically and financially.

Caregiving can also have it’s rewards, making the caregiver feel needed, promoting a stronger relationship with the person receiving care, providing the caregiver with the feeling of “giving back” to a loved one. Many caregivers report that they appreciate life more as a result of their experience and that caregiving has made them feel good about themselves.

I just recently read about a new study that caring for a loved one for 14 hours per week or more actually decreased their risk of death…this is the first time I have ever read anything like this and would like to share the report I read with you. You can access the full story at washingtonpost.com.

This is very important information for the care managers at Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management and may change some of the interventions we develop for our Clients and their families in our care plans. Working together with the caregivers we can help them to find a happy medium where their caregiving responsibilities can provide positive responses while reducing the stresses involved for the caregiver.

If you are experiencing overwhelming stress in your caregiving responsibilities please don’t hesitate to contact Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management, located in Ridgewood, New Jersey and serving Bergen, Passaic, and surrounding counties in New Jersey and Rockland, Orange and Westchester and surrounding counties in New York. We can be reached at 201-857-5283 or www.distinctivecare.net.