Marla Ahlgrimm | Women at Risk of Caregiver Stress
Caregivers are those selfless individuals who provide care for someone after an accident, illness or injury, or for an aging loved one. Marla Ahlgrimm reports that caregivers are often women over the age of 40.
According to Marla Ahlgrimm, being a caregiver, while a rewarding experience, is also a stressful situation. Not only does the person have to tend to their own health and wellness needs, but to those of the one in their care along with any children of their own. 36% of American adults are tasked with providing unpaid informal, or family, care for another.
Caregiver stress is the physical and emotional price of providing such care, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Ahlgrimm asserts that the vast majority of caregivers experience stress at significantly higher levels than their non-caregiving contemporaries. Caregiver stress may present with feelings of being overwhelmed, sleep pattern disturbances, and chronic headaches, among other issues. This type of stress is on top of everything else the caregiver has weighing her down.
In addition to the emotional toll of stress in general, constant stress, such as that experienced by caretakers, can have a dire impact on one’s health. Marla Ahlgrimm reports that obesity, memory impairment, along with a weakened immune system are common among women in care of other adults. It is possible, however, to overcome many of the symptoms of caregiver stress. Marla Ahlgrimm offers these tips:
- Ask for help. Whether you enlist other family members or elect to pay for professional respite care, you need a break.
- Maintain a routine. Having things on a schedule can eliminate anxiety.
- Get in touch with yourself. Find time to do something each day just for you.
- Exercise. Eat breakfast and balance your intake of carbohydrates and protein
