Oconto Falls – HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital recognizes caregivers everywhere during National Family Caregivers Month. According to National Alliances for Caregiving and AARP, 31 percent of caregivers need or want more help. Many face their own health problems, and are under severe emotional stress and physical strain.
With the amount of people needing care steadily growing, here are five ways to reduce the stress of caregiving:
-
Learn about the family member’s diagnosis. Knowledge about the medical condition helps caregivers understand the disease, and plan ahead realistically.
-
Discuss finances and health care wishes. Although these conversations can be difficult, they help to better prepare for the future and relieve anxiety.
-
Invite family and close friends to discuss the care needed with and for their loved one. This meeting gives caregivers a change to say what they need, plan for care and ask others for help.
-
Take advantage of community resources. Meals on Wheels, adult day programs, and respite programs can help relieve the workload and offer needed breaks. Look for caregiver educational programs that will increase skills and knowledge while offering support.
-
Find support. This may be the most important thing a caregiver can do as they take on more responsibility to prevent isolation as their social life shrinks. Online and in-person support groups can be helpful in connecting with others who are experiencing the same circumstances.
Caregiving can be overwhelming at times. For more information, please call Family Caregiver Alliance at (800) 445-8106 or visit www.caregiver.org.
###
About HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital serves Oconto Falls and the surrounding communities as a federally-designated critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency department, urgent care, general, vascular and orthopedic surgical services, inpatient and outpatient surgical and diagnostic services, rehabilitation, oncology outpatient clinic and women’s care. HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital, in affiliation with Prevea Health, has five regional health center locations in Gillett, Lena, Mountain, Oconto Falls and Suring. Founded in 1921 as Community Memorial Hospital, in 2014, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital became the fourteenth hospital in Hospital Sisters Health System. As an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, we draw on the history of St. Francis of Assisi as we move to continue serving the health care needs of our area in Christ’s healing ministry, caring for all people. For more information about St. Clare, visit www.stclarememorial.org.
About Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Belleville, Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.