Homecare: 5 Possible Signs of an Anxiety Disorder in Your Senior

By James Hughes | November 17, 2021 |

Homecare: Anxiety disorders are a lot more common in seniors than most people realize.

Anxiety covers a lot of ground, but you or your homecare provider can learn to spot some of the signs that your elderly family member might be battling anxiety so that you can get her help.

Homecare in Robertsdale AL: Anxiety Disorder

Constant Worrying or Fear about What Might Happen

Most people worry about things now and again. But if your senior is constantly worrying or afraid of situations that may not happen, that could be due to anxiety more than any other factor. Whereas worrying now and again is normal, constant worry definitely is not.

Isolation and Withdrawing Socially

Anxiety can cause your senior to withdraw from the people around her, even if she’s not dealing with social anxiety in particular. Your senior may avoid social situations just because she wants to avoid explaining how she’s feeling. The ultimate impact, though, is that this often makes anxiety worse overall. Home care assistance can offer companionship along with hands-on help.

Difficulty Around Routines

Following her usual routines might be more difficult for your senior if anxiety is a problem, too. She might be resistant to routines that have served her well in the past. The flip side could be that anxiety makes her adhere even more stringently to her routines, leaving her little room for the flexibility of life.

Sleep Issues

Anxiety may also get in the way of your senior sleeping as well as she needs to. Sleep problems can be a major contributing factor to other health concerns, so it can be crucial for her to get a handle on anything that interferes with her sleep. Having home care assistance available overnight might be beneficial, especially if some of your senior’s worries are worst overnight.

Homecare: Self-medicating in Possibly Dangerous Ways

Another big problem with anxiety in seniors is that they might lean on options to self-medicate that anxiety. Alcohol and other choices for self-medication can interfere with medications your senior takes for other health issues and they can make her more susceptible to things like falling. All of that makes the situation worse for your senior.

If your senior is showing signs that she might be dealing with more than a little bit of passing anxiety, talk with her doctor. Finding solutions in other ways, like bringing in elder care providers to help her with whatever is becoming more difficult, can also offer her relief. Knowing that she has homecare assistance can bring a lot of peace of mind for you, too.

If you or someone you know needs Homecare in Robertsdale, AL, please contact the friendly caregivers at  Hughes Home Care. We provide quality and affordable care for your elderly loved ones in our community. Call Us Today at 251-517-9901. Serving Mobile & Baldwin County.

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James Hughes

Owner at Hughes Home Care

James Hughes is a graduate of The University of Alabama (Health Care Administration), the University Of Alabama, Birmingham (Physical Therapy) and is a Navy veteran.

He has three teenage children and are actively involved in their church and community – James coach’s youth football, basketball and baseball and serves at 3 Circle Church. He is a member of the Fairhope Youth Football Board and the Rock Creek POA Board.

It is his passion and commitment to providing quality and responsive service that has made their company the fastest growing home care agency in South Alabama.

He believes that being an independently owned and operated company gives him the flexibility to manage his business in a way that better serves their clients.

He understands that you have a choice of care providers and he will do his utmost to earn your trust.