If anxiety is a new problem for your senior, she may be surprised at just how overwhelming it can feel. Anxiety is not an easy issue to manage alone, so it helps if you’re able to work through some of what might be going on with your senior.

What’s Causing the Anxiety?

Reaching deeper to determine what’s behind the anxiety can help your senior to better understand what she’s feeling and helps you to determine what might alleviate her anxiety. Sometimes anxiety is related to health issues, but that isn’t always the case. Talk to your aging family member’s doctor about what she might be able to do in order to manage her anxiety, especially if it is related to either health issues or to medication side effects.

Control and Choices Can Help in Managing Anxiety

If your senior’s anxiety doesn’t have a physical cause, it might be related to other issues. Many aging adults have trouble managing anxiety as they grow older because suddenly they’ve got fewer choices and less control over daily situations than they used to have. This can be upsetting and creates a situation in which anxiety is a normal reaction. If you’re working to make sure that your senior has as much control as she can, that can help.

Find Ways to Help Your Senior to Feel More Comfortable

There might be other things you can do to help your senior to feel more comfortable, too. Physical touch can be reassuring during an anxiety attack, for instance. Offering a hug or just a gentle hand on her arm could be grounding for her. Other people find that practicing deep breathing is helpful, while others find that centering on something physical, like sucking on a mint hard candy, can help. Try a variety of techniques to find some that work.

Know When to Step Back

There may also be times when you won’t be able to help your elderly family member. This is also where allowing her to find solutions that she can use on her own is a good idea. Let her know that you’re happy to give her whatever space she needs in order to feel comfortable, but that you’re there when she needs you to be.
If anxiety is a common issue for your senior, she may feel uncomfortable being on her own for too long. Home care providers can help. They can offer companionship when she needs it.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a Caregiver in Piedmont, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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