From the Desk of the Executive Director: Tips for Caregivers...

December is about the importance of family, especially caregivers. Caregivers can experience an increased amount of stress and that stress can have a negative impact on your health and well-being. “(Whitebird 2012). Don’t feel guilty if you are feeling stressed. What parent of a child with special needs isn’t? ( Hu  et al 2010). If you are feeling stressed, here are a few tips to help you…

 

Tip #1: Take Full Advantage of Respite Care Opportunities

Finding respite care continues to be one of the Top 10 most requested items at Down syndrome Indiana. You have to be your best in order to give the best care to your loved ones, no matter what their age. In fact, in 2010, there was a study published that recommended the optimal use of respite care to relieve caregiver stress. ( Hu 2010). Think it’s okay to be stressed? Well think again. “Parental Stress may have a negative effect on the mental health and behavior of children”. (Groeneveld et al. 2010).  Yet another study cites that “Both caregivers and children will benefit from a reduction of caregiver stress.”  (Groeneveld et al. 2010).  You are not alone in feeling stressed! If you are not aware of respite opportunities in your area, Down Syndrome Indiana has a factsheet that lists local respite opportunities. Please request a factsheet at lisa@dsindiana.org.

Tip #2: Exercise

 

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. Walking is a great way to get started. Even everyday activities such as housecleaning or yard work can reduce stress. Stretching can also relieve muscle tension. Think you can’t afford the time or expense? Look at what the research says, “Caregiving is associated with a host of problems, including poor physical health leading to increased mortality, compromised immune function, emotional issues, social isolation, and mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety” (Whitebird 2012). Think again. You can’t afford not to find a way to exercise.

Tip #3: Be Social

Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to. Talking with friends, family, a counselor, or a member of the clergy about your feelings is a healthy way to relieve stress. DSI community groups offer social support to its families and serve as a means to disseminate up to date and accurate information to the families it serves.  Research indicates that, “social support is exceptionally important to maintaining good physical and psychological health…” (Ozbay, et al. 2008). Find out more about DSI Community groups at: http://www.dsindiana.org/CommunityGroups.php.

Tip #4: Volunteer

There are many health benefits to volunteering (Piliavin and Siegl 2007). If you feel that volunteering will take too much time away from your family, try volunteer activities that involve the entire family. Meals on Wheels and Kids Against Hunger offer fantastic volunteer opportunities for the whole family. You may feel that you're too busy to do these things, however, making time to do something you enjoy can help you relax. It might also help you get more done in other areas of your life.

Tip #5: Sign up for a Caregiver Retreat

 

You have probably seen the quaint, colorful and homelike building when driving in Broad Ripple near Keystone and 62^nd but like me may have never know it could be a resource to our families that have an adult with Down syndrome.  Joy’s House is an adult day service located at 2028 E. Broad Ripple Avenue in Indianapolis. The goal of this facility is to keep people aging in place, in other words,  to keep people living  in their homes as long as possible. Their mission is two-fold. One is to make sure guests have an active and enjoyable day. The other is to make sure caregivers get the support they need to keep their loved ones at home. In addition to the day services offered, Joy’s House is open four Saturdays per year for respite care and holds a free caregiver retreat twice per year. A face to face stress reduction workshop or caregiver retreat, such as the one at Joy’s House is a great way to effectively reduce stress (Hu 2010). For more information, contact: joyshouse.org or call 317-254-0828. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Love, Peace and Joy,

 

Lisa Wells, Executive Director


 

Groeneveld, M.G, et al. (2010) Stress, Cortisol and Well-being of Caregivers and Children in Home-based child care: A Case for Differential Susceptibility. Blackwell Publishing LTD. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uindy.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=81f7a2ed-7912-42ff-ad92-54f0445c4504%40sessionmgr111&vid=6&hid=108.

 

Hu, Jung et al. (2010) Effectiveness of a stress-relief initiative for primary caregivers of adolescents with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, March 2010; 35(1): 29–35. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uindy.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=81f7a2ed-7912-42ff-ad92-54f0445c4504%40sessionmgr111&vid=8&hid=108.

 

Ozbay, F., et al. ( 2008 ) Social Support and Resilience to Stress Across the Life Span: A Neurobiologic Framework .  Current Psychiatry Reports. Retrieved from: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-008-0049-7#page-1.

 

Web MD. Stress Management – Effects of Stress. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-relieving-stress.

 

 

Whitebird, Robin, R. et al. (2012) Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Family Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Gerontologist Vol. 53, No. 4, 676–686doi:10.1093/geront/gns126. Retrieved from: http://ejournals.ebsco.com.ezproxy.uindy.edu/Direct.asp?AccessToken=9IQI5IJ8XD54DRPZ5J41KQ9EKR518I5I9Q&Show=Object.