Tips for Caring for a Senior Who is Suffering from PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is one of the most common mental health concerns experienced throughout the United States. Approximately 70 percent of the population of the country has experienced at least one truly traumatic event in their lives, and at least 20 percent of those will develop PTSD as a result. This condition can have a negative impact on your parent’s health and well-being, and diminish their quality of life. The home health care that you give them as their family caregiver can help them to manage this condition in the way that is right for them and avoid potentially serious consequences.

Use these tips to help you care for a senior who is suffering from PTSD:June is National PTSD Awareness Month. This is the ideal opportunity for you to learn about this condition and what you can do to help your parent deal with it effectively and healthily.

• Understand the event. Talk to your parent about what they have gone through and how it impacted them. Try to understand what it is about the event that caused the trauma. Remember that this is a very personal experience and even if you do not fully understand why the event was so difficult for your loved one, that does not mean that it was not challenging for them.

• Evaluate based on them, not yourself. PTSD is a very personal experience because trauma is a very personal experience. When your loved one is going through this, do not look at the event or their reactions as you believe that you would deal with them. Instead, be compassionate and empathetic and dedicate yourself to helping them.

• Encourage them to get support. As with other mental health issues, it is very important that your aging parent seek out and receive help and support for their condition. Seek out a support group for those who live with PTSD and encourage your loved one to participate in it regularly.

• Support a healthy lifestyle. Encourage your parent to make healthy lifestyle choices daily. This includes eating a healthy diet, staying active, and getting enough sleep. This will help to keep their mental and emotional health and well-being better as well.

• Find coping mechanisms. Encourage your parent to find coping mechanisms that will help them to cope with their PTSD reactions. If they are feeling anxious or upset about something, encourage them to take a walk, have a conversation with someone, listen to music, or do something else that will distract them and reduce their symptoms.

If you have been looking for ways to improve your elderly loved one’s quality of life and achieve and maintain a fulfilling lifestyle as they age in place, now may be the ideal time for you to start home health care for them. A senior home health care services provider can be with your aging parent on a customized schedule that is ideal for their individual needs, challenges, and limitations, but also for the amount and type of care that you give to them.

This home health care provider can give your senior a highly personalized set of services designed to help them stay safe, healthy, comfortable, and happy, but also to encourage a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, and fulfilling as possible as they age in place. These services can include anything from providing safe and reliable transportation to get them where they need and want to go, to helping them manage activities of daily living and personal care, to providing companionship and emotional support.

This can give you peace of mind knowing that they will get everything that they need to enjoy their later years both when you are with them and when you are not.