National Mental Health Month

Since 1949, May has been dubbed Mental Health Month. The goal of the designation is to reach out to people through various venues offering help and education. AmeriBest is a home care service agency in Harrisburg, PA. As part of our commitment, we work hand-in-hand with families who need assistance navigating the tumultuous waters of understanding mental health and finding effective solutions for their loved ones. 

The 2022 theme for Mental Health Month is “Back to the Basics.” After two years of living with the pandemic, many people find themselves feeling stressed, isolated, and uncertain about how to get back to some semblance of normal. This is doubly true for seniors whose support often had to remain separate due to social distancing. In-home caregiving services like those offered by AmeriBest, Harrisburg, filled some gaps by utilizing special protective uniforms so they could still be on the job.

Risks for Developing Mental Health Issues

When someone begins experiencing mental health issues, it probably has more than one root cause. Psychiatrists have created a list of risk factors for mental health. The more you have, the more likely you’re to experience one or more mental health conditions. 

  1. Genetics: Think of your genes like a map of how your entire body grows and functions. That includes the brain. So if there is a history of mental health in your family, you may have a genetic predisposition. For example, if either or both of your parents had an anxiety disorder, your risk of developing the same disorder can increase by 6 times as much at the top end. 
  1. Lifestyle: Your mom was right. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, and exercise regularly. It’s god for your body and mind. Should you develop a mental health problem, these simple things become coping mechanisms and helpmates. 
  1. Social conditions: Where you live, work, and socialize all impact your quality of life. Individuals living in poverty, areas with high crime rates, and who have limited access to a healthy community environment illustrate more mental health problems. The amount of anxiety-centered conditions went up 20% because of isolation during Covid, for example. 
  2. Trauma: This is a big category. For example, someone in your life may have had a stroke or car accident that created limitations. That’s trauma as is the death of a loved one, being bullied for extended periods, racism, and experiencing a disaster up close and personal. 

The impact of trauma can remain with little notice until something triggers a memory. Then the world can come cascading down into a pool of tears and fears. Experiencing trauma as a child puts you at 1.3 times the risk of developing mental health problems in adulthood or senior years. 

How can You Help?

If you are a caregiver for someone with mental health problems, even part-time, there are things you can do to help them. The most important is companionship. Loneliness is a huge factor in someone developing depression, and depression can impact other aging issues including dementia. 

Motivation and intellectual activities go hand-in-hand with companionship. An idle mind is one prone to spiraling into negative thought-forms. When people are dealing with things like SAD there’s a tendency to want to simply give up. When you offer said person input at the right time and in the right way, it can make a huge improvement in their quality of life. 

Now, not everyone has the capacity to step into this type of role. There’s a lot of responsibility including paying attention to the signs that mental health is on the decline. That’s the time to reach out. Any organization participating in Mental Health Month can get you started with more tools and know-how. Alternatively (or consecutively) you can call AmeriBest’s Harrisburg, PA office at 717-545-2920 and talk to one of our professionals. 

One of the core principles of professional aid services is helping the entire family. People don’t realize that their personal mental health can be adversely impacted by a loved one’s struggles. Ours is a holistic approach. You can email us (info@ameribest.org) or use our online form for more information. 

Mind Your Mental Health This May

Mind Your Mental Health This May

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you are like most people, you have been quarantined in your home for over a year. This isolation has undoubtedly taken a toll on your mental health. In particular, Philadelphia seniors and those who live alone are that much more likely to suffer mental health problems. After all, we are a social species with a yearning to bond with others in-person rather than over screens through videoconferencing.

Tips for Caregivers

If you provide care for someone who is elderly or otherwise isolated, go out of your way to engage them in conversation throughout the entirety of your caregiving sessions. Even if you don’t have much to discuss, you can make small talk about the weather or current events to stimulate the individual you are caring for. Keep in mind, those who have no one to talk to have the potential to lose their phonetic abilities, meaning they will struggle to enunciate words following extended periods of silence. It will also help to engage in shared social activities with the patient such as board games, outings around town, and other group activities.

Even taking the senior citizen or other needy individuals in your life to the park or another social space for a picnic will lift his or her spirit, stimulate conversation and potentially lead to a conversation with Philadelphia community members. If the individual you care for expresses an interest in participating in a community activity such as a book club, a movie club, bingo sessions, or anything else involving others, volunteer to drive them to and from that event. Even if these social experiences only occur once every couple of weeks, they will provide the individual you care for with something to look forward to.

Mind Your Mental Health This May

Mental Health Following the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread loneliness and mental illness in Philadelphia, the United States, and the rest of the world. Studies show one-third of those who contracted the virus suffered mental health or brain health issue. However, even those who did not contract the virus are dealing with social isolation. In particular, those with minimal income and savings have suffered severe mental health problems throughout the pandemic. Though the rich also endured mental health issues during the pandemic, those with less money lack the financial means necessary to obtain assistance from a mental health professional. Furthermore, those lacking in financial resources have also spent comparably more time worrying about paying the rent, buying enough food, and paying for the cost of monthly utilities.

Anxiety and depression amongst Americans have doubled from 20% prior to the pandemic to 40% during the pandemic, making it crystal clear that it will take some time for our collective mental health to return to even a semblance of normal. Ameribest is here to help with the assistance of home health aides and other healthcare professionals who are happy to provide assistance including social and mental stimulation that improves your well-being or that of your loved one.

Ameribest is on Your Side

Our Philadelphia home health aides are here to provide essential assistance including social stimulation. Our team is friendly, talkative, and more than willing to engage you in conversation. If you suspect or know you or a loved one can benefit from the assistance of one of our home health aides, our skilled nurses, our physical therapy, or our occupational therapy, contact us today. Ameribest can be reached by phone at 215-925-3313 or by email at info@ameribest.org.

AmeriBest Home Care