Caregiver in Bethlehem PA
August 30 is National Grief Awareness Day. While it is not something that anyone enjoys going through, grief is something that virtually everyone will face throughout their life. This is particularly true for elderly adults who are likely to experience the loss of many important people in their lives, including friends, family members, and partners. This grief can be extremely stressful and emotionally difficult, and make a negative impact on their quality of life. Helping your aging loved one process through their grief will help them to get through this difficult time in a more effective, healthier way.
Use these tips to help protect your aging parent from mental, emotional, and even physical consequences of grief:
- Accept that it will take time. Grief is something that does not just immediately go away. Your parent will need time to move through the process of grief and acknowledging this will help to take stress off of you and off of your elderly loved one. When they do not feel rushed or pressured, your parent will feel better about the experience and more at ease working through their feelings.
- Encourage them to be open and honest about their feelings. You might feel as though mentioning what is causing your parent pain will only increase the sadness and difficulty. Ignoring it, however, can actually make the pain worse. Encourage your parent to talk about what they are feeling and what they are going through. Allow them to express all of the different emotions of grief, which can include anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, guilt, and loss. Be willing to talk about your own feelings as well.
- Let them be happy. Grief is difficult, but just because your aging parent is going through this challenging period of their life does not mean that they are not allowed to have any moments of happiness. In fact, continuing to enjoy their lives is valuable to maintaining their mental and emotional health, and reaffirming the value of the lost person. Encourage your parent to find things that they can be happy about, such as sharing memories, visiting a favorite place, or watching a funny movie.
- Embrace their individual experience. Grief is a highly personal experience and each person who goes through it will work through it in their own way. Give your parent the freedom to find their own way through their grief and embrace this personal experience. As long as they are not doing something that is potentially dangerous or harmful to them, allow them to express their grief in the way that is right for them.
- Encourage them to find support. While you can be a valuable source of support and encouragement for your elderly parent, they may need more to help them through this difficult time. Encourage them to talk to a professional counselor or to find a support group for those who are grieving. These resources will provide them with a place to express their emotions and receive guidance, advice, and encouragement that can guide them through the phases of grief and help them recover.
If you are considering caregiver services in Bethlehem, PA, contact the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Allentown. Call today at (610) 200-6097.
Source: http://coralspringscounselingcenter.com/2014/03/31/8-tips-help-cope-loss-grief/
With over 35 years of experience, Stephen Sternbach has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Extended Family Care Services since 1987. After the sale of the New York and New Jersey operations of Extended Family Care Services, Sternbach brought the company private where he remains President and CEO of this 40-million dollar company. With Sternbach at the helm, Extended Family Care Services employs more than 650 employees, in six offices throughout Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.
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