Winter heralds shorter days, cooler weather and a festive holiday season. Many people enjoy the annual ritual of shopping, eating and parties with family and friends. For others, thoughts of the holidays bring stress and sadness that balloon throughout the period because it is added to anxiety they experience while caring for an aging parent. According to survey findings by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare, nine out of ten family caregivers suffer from depression and 67 percent spend at least 20 hours a week caring for a loved one.
"Stress and sadness often walk hand in hand, especially during the winter holidays," said Carol Edelstein, vice president for Program Development at Sunrise. "Family caregivers already 'doing it all' want to do more during the holidays. Seniors who are starting to rely more on their adult children often do not want to become burdens. This is a recipe for stress, which to make matters worse, people suppress and refuse to discuss."
Sunrise Senior Living (NYSE:SRZ), one of the nation's largest providers of senior living services, has noted a greater amount of stress and sadness in adult children who care for aging parents and visit Sunrise communities for help during the winter season. Causes may include psychological and emotional issues related to family dynamics, but also include physical, environmental and social issues. Some ways adult children and their aging parents can address these issues are:
* Give up on Guilt -- Adult children with full schedules feel like they could do more to help their parents. Aging parents don't want to burden their adult children. Parents and adult children should discuss these feelings and issues. Be honest with each other and understand each other's perspectives. There is a middle ground.
* Balance the Past, Present and Future -- Reminiscing about special times and people can bring smiles, but when contrasted with the past, the present may not seem so rosy. Focusing on the future, whether it is coffee with friends in an hour, a vacation next week or a daughter's wedding in a year may result in having positive feelings about the future.
* Turn on Some Lights -- Shorter days and less sunlight cause people to tire earlier, especially as they get older. Short naps are always helpful, as are breathing exercises. Stay active and turn some lights on when dusk approaches.
* Get-up and Go -- Cooler weather keeps people indoors and less active. Bundle up and go outside for a few minutes or stay inside and keep busy with a hobby, cooking or cleaning. Challenge your mind with crossword puzzles and games to stay alert. Spend time with a few of your best friends and don't isolate yourself.
* Eat for Energy -- Watch out for those heavy or carb-loaded foods that make you tired. Also, alcohol is a depressant and should be drunk with moderation or not at all. Speak with your doctor about medications that could cause anxiety and ask for solutions.
* Talk with Friends & Family -- Don't view depression as taboo. Many people experience it at some point and often talking about it with others can help. Someone specially trained to help those with depression can also be an asset.
Sunrise Senior Living communities across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany provide a variety of resources and services to adult children and their aging parents. These solutions help them with caregiving, which enable families to better enjoy the time they spend together and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed.
Solutions such as Sunrise's short-term stay program range from one week to three months. Guests are offered meals, assistance with activities of daily living, social programs and wellness visits by the community's licensed nurse if necessary. Another option is Sunrise At Home, a solution that delivers personal care and homemaker services to a person's home. Many Sunrise communities also offer a Family Resource Center filled with information, videos and books about seniors and caregiving.
Sunrise Senior Living, a McLean, Va.-based company, employs more than 40,000 people. As of September 30, 2006, Sunrise operated 436 communities in the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom with a combined capacity for more than 50,000 residents. Sunrise also had 46 communities under construction in these countries with a combined capacity for more than 6,000 additional residents. Sunrise offers a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss, as well as nursing, rehabilitative and hospice care. Sunrise's senior living services are delivered by staff trained to encourage the independence, preserve the dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents. To learn more about Sunrise, please visit http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/.
