Home Care Services Manhattan NY
Being involved in an emergency or disaster situation can be extremely stressful for your elderly adult. These events can be frightening and put your parent in circumstances that leave them feeling insecure, unsafe, and out of control. Even after the disaster itself ends, the emotional response can continue, leaving your parent at risk of mental, emotional, and even physical health consequences related to this response. As their family caregiver, one of the most important things that you can do after your parent is involved in an emergency or disaster is to help them to cope with their emotional response. This is about confronting what happened and helping them to move forward through it so that they can get back to the lifestyle that they desire and deserve as soon as possible.
Use these tips to help your parent cope with their emotional response to a disaster or emergency:
• Talk about it. Do not just assume that your aging parent is doing alright if they have not mentioned that they are facing difficult emotions. Many times older adults will struggle with challenging emotions and stress but not talk about it because they do not want to seem like a burden, or like they are being overdramatic. Be willing to talk to your parent about what they are going through and encourage them to tell you how they are working through this experience so that you can be there to help them. Do not push them, but rather make sure that they know that you are available to talk to them and want to give them any support and assistance they need
• Admit your own feelings. Often the most effective way to encourage someone to talk about how they are feeling about a particular situation is to admit how you are feeling yourself. When you are upfront and honest with your loved one about what you are going through, you show them that it is fine for them to be going through an emotional response, and even natural for them to have such a reaction. You are making yourself vulnerable so that they can feel safe being vulnerable to you
• Start home care services for them. Working through the emotions that come after a disaster or emergency situation are not ones that your parent will just suddenly "get over". Instead, they will need to work through them gradually, progressively confronting and resolving emotions until they feel able to move forward again. Having an in-home senior care services provider in the home with them is a fantastic way to give them the emotional support, companionship, and encouragement that they might need to work through these emotions effectively. This care provider can encourage your parent to stay active and engaged, help them to confront the damage that might have occurred so that your parent is able to process through it, and help them to see that they can move forward with their life and enjoy a more satisfying lifestyle as they age in place.