Home Helpers Home Care expounds on the benefits of keeping family in the home, however we, more so than others know caring for an aging loved one or disabled or handicapped child comes with unescapable challenges. Coping with one crisis after another can leave little time to appreciate or acknowledge what’s working and going well. Today, many caregivers are turning to Mindfulness - based stress reduction for family caregivers.
“People with dementia often have declining cognitive function and increasing behavioral problems over many years. For caregivers, this decline can lead to increasing stress, frustration, anxiety, depression, and health problems. Giving caregivers skills to manage the daily chronic stress and the emotional challenges of caregiving may provide a long-term benefit to the caregiver.” ¹
Mindfulness is defined as: “A mental state achieved by focusing awareness on the present, while acknowledging and accepting feelings, thoughts and physical sensations.” Achieved by focusing awareness on the present, applications based on mindfulness have been employed by clinical psychology and psychiatry to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, treat drug addiction and stem patterns of disruptive behavior. Mindfulness - based stress reduction classes can now be found in brick and mortar establishments; near or within chiropractic offices and massage therapy salons
Why mindfulness for caregivers? Because self-care matters. Caregivers cannot confidently accept or face the challenges of caregiving over an extended period of time if they fail to put their self-care and well-being first. When flying with a child, the flight attendant instructs the adult to put their oxygen mask on first - “Because if you run out of oxygen, you can’t help anyone else with their oxygen mask.” The same holds true for caregivers. Beyond eating healthy meals, exercising when time permits and seeking guidance and support when needed, caregivers must know themselves psychologically and be mindful of the challenges (and successes) of caregiving.
Mindfulness can help in identifying expectations and separating the realistic from the unrealistic. The caregiver will be more grounded, more attentive, a better communicator and improved listener. Feeling rushed, overwhelmed and unappreciated will dwindle as positive aspects of caregiving are reinforced. Reducing caregiver burnout and fatigue, mindfulness offers a meditative calming effect, teaching the caregiver to concentrate on one thing at a time, to be fully engaged in their patient and mindful of each duty assigned and task performed.
Mindfulness includes meditation and breathing, something many shy away from due to time restraints;
“I don’t have time to sit with my eyes closed and breath in and out! I have too much on my mind and too much do.”
Meditating and breathing is a ritual, not a time- filled constraint. Standing in the shower or sitting the tub, getting dressed in the morning or waiting for the coffee to brew; even lingering in a waiting room or siting in the car a caregiver can breathe deeply, feel their lungs fill with air, and slowly let it go - a five-minute breathing exercise with enormous benefits, far beyond getting the oxygen flowing. With just five minutes of focusing on breathing he/she can reduce stress, anxiety and negative emotions, increase resistance to anger and temper flares, boost the immune system and sharpen concentration.
“Science is just beginning to provide evidence that the benefits of this ancient practice are real. Studies have found, for example, that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder. Consciously changing the way you breathe appears to send a signal to the brain to adjust the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, which can slow heart rate and digestion and promote feelings of calm as well as the sympathetic system, which controls the release of stress hormones like cortisol.” Lesley Alderman, The New York Times
Caregiving is a big challenging job with a never-ending list of duties, responsibilities and on-going challenges. Today there are over 65 million women, men and children in the United States providing in-home patient care. Beyond providing medical care, personal care, meals and household tasks they advocate on behalf of their patient ensuring physiological and psychological needs are being met.
Being mindful [mindfulness] is just one way in which a caregiver can improve brain function, boost energy levels, increase emotional stability and promote self-care. Five minutes to a better you can be had – and your patient might appreciate it also.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709844/
