In a recent BlogTalkRadio Show, one of our eldercare experts shared extensively on caregiver burnout. Caregiver Burnout is a serious condition with specific symptoms that a family or care provider can be aware of during a patient’s caregiving process. It is not uncommon, and it’s vital that as a society we are watchful of this condition. So what is caregiver burnout, specifically?
Caregiver burnout is a physical, mental and emotional condition where the person or family providing primary care to a patient becomes literally exhausted. This may look like depression – or even apathy. It is a recognizable shift in the demeanor of the care provider. Burnout can present as fatigue, anxiety and / or depression. Here are some examples of what to look out for:
Withdrawal from friends, family or loved ones.
Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed.
Feeling blue, irritable or helpless.
Changes in appetite, weight, or both.
Changes in sleep.
Getting sick more often.
A feeling of hopelessness.
Caregiver burnout is also sometimes referred to as compassion fatigue, which is a term commonly used in the professional nursing and care providing realm. If you are the caregiver, it’s important to acknowledge that you are not culpable for the patient’s situation and you probably can’t fix it – no matter how much time, effort and caring you pour in. Patients, especially elderly patients, face a myriad of challenges. These can range from an illness or injury, to struggling with the very basics of life, like getting from a chair to the bed, eating, etc. Bring into the fold life tasks like paying the bills, making medical decisions … well, there’s a lot that falls onto the shoulders of the caregiver. Specifically acknowledging that you did not arrive with superhuman powers to “save” the patient is very important.
Solutions: Although there may be an endless list of life-saving solutions to burnout, we would like to offer three that are easy to implement in one’s life and family: counseling, networking, and respite care. We will also cover respite care in another article later in March and in our newsletter. Please be sure to sign up for our newsletter in order to receive this information.
Professional Support. Having a professional to talk to is vital. If 95% of your time is spent taking care of others – including your patient, your children, your job, etc., it’s simply too much outbound energy to remain healthy on one’s own. We ALL need support at times, and having a counselor or a support group to lean on will help you be stronger on every level.
Personal Support. The American Writer Arnold Glasow once said, “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” Being a caregiver can be surprisingly isolating to an individual and a family. Some days this can be balanced by the simple act of finding someone to talk to about your feelings and frustrations. This should NOT take the place of professional support. But it is an important tool in the arsenal against isolation and burnout.
Respite Care. Of all three of our solutions, respite care is probably the least implemented and perhaps the most important. If implemented early, it can be the silver bullet in dodging caregiver burnout completely. But it could literally take 20/20 foresight for a person or family to know this. Respite care is literally finding help so that the care provider(s) can take a break from that responsibility. This can come in a variety of forms – personal trusted friends, adult day care, private care aides, and professionally respite services. Contact the National Respite Locator Service – www.archrespite.org/respitelocator for respite care services available in your area.
Always remember that you can also turn to your local Home Care or Hospice agencies for a variety of supportive services as well – for you and for your patient. http://www.nahcagencylocator.com.
Susan Baida, Co-Founder of eCareDiary.com
