Seven Tips for Managing Caregiver Stress During National Stress Awareness Month This April

Seven Tips for Managing Caregiver Stress During National Stress Awareness Month This April

NEW YORK (March 31, 2022)— Stress can damage your
health if you do not manage it properly—especially if you are
caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another
dementia-related illness. As part of National Stress Awareness
Month this April, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA)
is providing seven tips to help caregivers manage their stress.

“Stress management and self-care are essential for every
Alzheimer’s caregiver. Untreated stress increases the risk of care -
giver burnout and can cause high blood pressure, heart problems,
anxiety, depression, and numerous other health issues,” said
Jennifer Reeder, LCSW, AFA’s Director of Educational and
Social Services. “Being proactive in dealing with stress has
both short-term and long-term benefits for caregivers’ physical,
mental, and emotional health, which is why it’ s something that
they should prioritize.”

AFA suggests the following tips for Alzheimer’s caregivers
to prevent and manage their stress:

• Flexibility helps. A caregiver’s attitude plays a huge role
in stress levels—if the caregiver is calm and relaxed, it helps
the individual living with Alzheimer’s to be as well. Converse -
ly, an angry, agitated caregiver increases the chances that the
person for whom they are caring will be angry and agitated too.
Be adaptable, be positive, and aim for constructive solutions to
changing situations.

• Deal with what you can control. You cannot control
every stress-causing factor, but you can control how you react
to them. Focusing on finding solutions to the problem can help
reduce the stress it’s causing.

• Mind your health. Inadequate rest, poor diet and lack of
exercise can all exacerbate stress (and create other health problems
as well). As best you can, prioritize getting sleep, eating
right, drinking plenty of water and being active. You cannot
provide quality care to a loved one if you don’ t take care of
yourself.

• Clear and refresh your mind. Exercise, yoga, meditating,
listening to music, walking, or even taking a few deep
breaths can all help relax the mind and reduce stress. Find
something that works for you and do it regularly!

• Take things one day at a time. Resolving everything at
once is both impossible and unrealistic—don’ t hold yourself to
that unreasonable expectation. Prioritize, set practical goals, do
your best to achieve them, and take things one day at a time.

• Stay in touch. There are so many ways to stay socially
connected with family and friends—visits, FaceT ime, phone
calls, text messages, and emails, just to name a few. Disconnecting
from your support structure and staying bottled-up
increases stress.

• Be open with your feelings. Sometimes just talking
about your stress can help relieve it. Whether it’s with someone
in your support structure, a professional or even a stranger,
don’t be reluctant to open up. AFA’s Helpline has licensed
social workers available for caregivers seven days to provide
support or even just listen.

The AFA Helpline is available seven days a week to help
provide information and support regarding caregiver stress
and other caregiving questions. Connect with a licensed social
worker by calling 866-232-8484, web chatting at www.alzfdn.
org or sending a text message to 646-586-5283. The web chat
and text message features can serve individuals in more than 90
different languages.

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