Being a caregiver to your seniors can be a very challenging job, both physically and mentally. And as we all know, stress is no good for anyone, which is why it’s important that caregivers must know when and how to de-stress themselves from caregiving duties and balance their emotions and health.

Easy to say, harder to actually do it. Caregiving is a round-the-clock job, and you never know when it will be possible for you to take a break. Because of this, it would be great if there are things that can help to calm your stress down while you’re doing your daily tasks.

Introducing: Aromatherapy – a practice that helps you relax without having to stop what you are doing. Aromatherapy is the practice that utilise plant materials and aromatic plant oils for the purpose of changing someone’s mood, cognitive, psychological, or logical well-being. This practice has been around for many centuries for therapeutic, spiritual and religious purposes, and has been a staple of many ancient civilisations such as Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

So how does aromatherapy works? When your body system comes in contact with natural oils from selected plants either through aerial diffusion, direct inhalation, or topically, the properties in these oils can bring positive effects to your general well-being. Noted that while aromatherapy can help ease your stress and pain, there are no good and legitimate medical evidence showing that it can prevent or cure diseases. Some of the benefits you can gain from aromatherapy are:

• Pain & anxiety reduction
• Enhancement of energy and short-term memory
• Muscles and mind relaxation
• Etc.

Now, how can you incorporate aromatherapy into your daily life as a caregiver? Home Instead Senior Care Outer East recommends these following solutions:

Diffusers

Investing in an oil diffuser can be a good thing, especially since you will be staying inside the house for a long period of time throughout the day. Make sure to follow your diffuser’s instructions to maximise its usage.

Candles

This option also left your house smells great like a diffuser does but is considered a little more dangerous and pricey. Aromatherapy candle can be really expensive and unauthentic. A better alternative is to invest in some oils instead and drop it onto any unscented candle as the wax begins to melt. This way, you can have the option of changing scents depending on what you need, and save money!

Laundry

Drop 3-5 drops of your favourite essential oils onto a clean cloth, then toss that in the dryer along with your clean clothes. To intensify the smell, lower the heat of your dryer.

Bath/Shower

There’s nothing a good warm and fuzzy bath can’t fix. Add 6 to 9 drops of essential oils to warm bath water and enjoy! If you only have time for shower, add 5 to 7 drops of oil onto a clean damp washcloth and rub that on your body before drying off.

If you are unwell, you will not be able to take care of your seniors as well as you have planned. So take care of yourself first to ensure that your seniors will have the best caregiving experience as possible!

Thanks for reading through this Blog, I hope you have found it useful. If you require any further assistance please feel free to contact us.

Kind regards,

Suzanne McLoughlin

Owner of Home Instead Senior Care Outer East

P.S. We provide free Care Consultations and resource guides to support and guide families. Download your free copies from our Aged Care Resources page or Request a Free Information Pack to receive a hard copy.