Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a very common mental health concern. Experts estimate that approximately 70 percent of the population of the United States has suffered at least one traumatic event in their lives. Of these people, approximately 20 percent will develop PTSD. This can be a very serious condition that can make a negative impact on your parent’s mental and emotional health and well-being, functioning, and quality of life. As a family caregiver it is important that you are able to detect if your senior might be struggling with this condition so that you are able to give them the level of care that is right for them as well as support them in getting the proper support. This starts with understanding the sometimes subtle signs of this condition.
Some of the signs that your elderly parent might be suffering from PTSD include:
- Recurrent, upsetting memories of the traumatic event
- Experiencing flashbacks in which they relive the traumatic event as if it is really happening
- Experiencing frequent nightmares or frightening dreams about the trauma
- Severe distress, emotional upset, or even physical reactions to stimuli that reminds them of their trauma, whether it is sights, sounds, smells, people, activities, or other experiences
- Avoiding talking about what they went through
- Avoiding anything that might make them think about the event, such as going to the place where it occurred, seeing people who were involved, or doing similar activities
- Showing signs of negative thinking about themselves, others, or the world around them
- Expressing hopelessness about their lives or about the future
- Experiencing memory loss, particularly not remembering elements of the traumatic event
- Strain in relationships and not being able to maintain closeness with others
- Feeling detached
- Loss of interest in activities and people that they once loved
- Loss of positivity and positive emotions
- Being easily frightened
- Seeming on guard or defensive
- Difficulty concentrating or shortened attention span
- Participating in self-destructive behavior
- Aggressive behavior
- Difficulty sleeping
If you have been looking for ways to improve your elderly loved one’s quality of life and achieve and maintain a fulfilling lifestyle as they age in place, now may be the ideal time for you to start senior care for them. A senior home care services provider can be with your aging parent on a customized schedule that is ideal for their individual needs, challenges, and limitations, but also for the amount and type of care that you give to them. This care provider can give your senior a highly personalized set of services designed to help them stay safe, healthy, comfortable, and happy, but also to encourage a lifestyle that is as active, engaged, and fulfilling as possible as they age in place. These services can include anything from providing safe and reliable transportation to get them where they need and want to go, to helping them manage activities of daily living and personal care, to providing companionship and emotional support. This can give you peace of mind knowing that they will get everything that they need to enjoy their later years both when you are with them and when you are not.
For more information about how the caregivers at La Jolla Nurses Homecare can help your aging parents remain in their own homes, call 858-454-9339. We are a home care agency providing quality and affordable senior care in Coronado, CA, and the surrounding communities.
Sources:
http://www.ptsdunited.org/ptsd-statistics-2/
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-overview/basics/what-is-ptsd.asp
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