If your loved one has become bedridden in recent years due to an illness or injury, you know that the responsibilities of caring for your loved one have increased as her ability to perform most tasks has become nearly impossible without the help of in-home care and family.
It’s not only a huge physical adjustment for your loved one (and yourself), but it’s also a huge mental health adjustment as well. Your loved one may not be able to do many of the things she loves and that brought her joy, so she may struggle with depression.
Why Bedridden Patients Battle Depression
A big part of remaining healthy and enjoying a high quality of life while bedridden is being able to maintain good mental health. But it’s also one of the most difficult tasks on hand. Many of the techniques people often use to control depression or anxiety, such as physical activity or getting outside, are no longer easily available for your loved one without in-home care help.
Bedridden patients often suffer from depression also because of their other health symptoms. They may be in constant pain or discomfort, or they may struggle with prescription side effects that are unpleasant. Some bedridden patients struggle to be on a regular sleep cycle, causing them to miss out on the restoration that regular sleep provides.
How to Provide Emotional and Mental Health Support for Your Bedridden Loved One
- Watch for symptoms or new behaviors. Everyone presents depression and anxiety differently, so if your loved one isn’t talking about it, you may need to observe it before you can be sure about it. She may become overly angry or sad. She might stop eating or begin to eat too much. She might also find it too difficult to complete tasks that she has been able to complete before.
- Talk about it. Your loved one may need you to pry some information from her about how she’s feeling, but if you see the signs that she’s struggling mentally, gently encourage her to open up about her feelings. If she is uncomfortable talking to you, ask if she’ll talk to a professional who provides video counseling.
- Help her have as much independence as she can. From picking out what she wants to wear each day to providing tools that help her reach what she can, knowing she can still do some things on her own can help her feel more independent and less of a burden.
- Help her develop a regular sleep pattern. This may mean setting an alarm each morning even if she doesn’t have anywhere to be. Getting up at the same time of day and avoiding naps can help the body fall asleep better at night and sleep deeper.
- Work with a physical therapist to help her find daily exercises she can do.
- Listen and be supportive, not judgmental.
In-Home Care Can Help Your Bedridden Loved One
If space permits in your loved one’s home, having someone move in and provide in-home care may be just the solution for your loved one to pick up her spirits and provide the in-home care she needs.
With someone at home most of the day and in the evening, your loved one has a caring provider on site ready to help her through her darkest moments. Just knowing someone who cares is there can often do wonders for someone struggling through a tough time in their life.
If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Care in Bonita, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aaron Home Care. (619) 880-5522
A Trusted Home Care Agency Serving La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, San Diego, UTC, La Mesa, Chula Vista, Coronado, Bonita, Eastlake, and the surrounding areas.
In 1999, Aaron was named Residential Program Manager of a group home for disabled adults in Arlington, Virgina. Here, he built a reputation for being compassionate with his clients and efficient in company operations. In the years that followed, Washington DC’s human services field went through unprecedented reform when the city was fined $11 million for the previously unchecked abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the very population it was supposed to protect. In 2005, Aaron was selected by a watchdog company to co-create and implement a monitoring system to safeguard and advocate for the system’s most vulnerable residents. This system is still in use today.
Aaron is now using his unique gifts and profound experience in the human service field to provide San Diego County Seniors with dependable, compassionate caregivers through Aaron Home Care.
He currently serves on the board of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council and is an active member of the Senior Advocate Network of San Diego.
Aaron Home Care is a member of the American Board of Home Care and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
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