Helpful Tips and Strategies to Manage Caregiver Burnout
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At any point in time, a caregiver can be faced with feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, even guilt or angry over the change in a relationship’s dynamic. This can occur as a role reversal where children are now responsible for caring for an aging parent, or caring for a spouse or loved one when they are no longer able to do so. It is important when a situation such as this arises that you keep in tune with yourself to avoid what is known as caregiver burnout.
To put strategies in place to prevent burnout, it is important to understand common causes of caregiver burnout. Here are some of the most common sources of caregiver burnout.
- Lack of self-care: when the “burden of care” for your loved one becomes substantial enough that it disrupts your basic personal needs such as sleep, inadequate nutrition, or lack of exercise, you run a risk of quickly burning out as you are operating from depleted reserves.
Underlying feelings of guilt: No one can do it all, yet often, a caregiver will try to. Internal thoughts and feelings about relinquishing your loved one’s care to another often eat away at caregivers who feel that they are somehow “failing” their loved one. It is important to keep perspective and remember that there is a difference between caring, and doing.
- So many responsibilities, so little time: Often, caregiving consumes time and attention, which most caregivers have not planned to give up. This impacts the carer’s ability to work, engage socially, or maintain their own physical and mental health. This can result in strained relationships, family difficulties, and caregiver isolation.
- Lack of support: All too often, the primary caregiver is left to assume a large, if not all, share of the burden of care. Without any respite support, it quickly becomes too much for the individual who is now tasked with providing care. It is essential to find time to nurture relationships and to ask for help when needed.
There will come a time when the role of caregiver becomes too much for a single person or even a group of family and friends to manage. In those moments, you need to remind yourself that it is completely normal to have a limit of what you can do at home. As a disease progresses and your loved one requires more care than you can provide at home, moving them to a care facility is not giving up. It is simply a different way of caring for them.
Before you reach the point where caregiving has become a burden or crisis, consider a life care community as a long-term solution. Your loved one will have a comfortable and readily accessible residence, supervised care provided by RiverMead’s compassionate and trained staff, healthy dining, activities, entertainment, and social interaction. By shifting the burden of care to our staff and facility, you will get to return to the role of son, daughter, or spouse and genuinely enjoy the time spent together again.
If you’re considering assisted living or memory support for yourself or a family member, we will create a personalized visit to RiverMead for you. You’ll find out how easy it can be to live a maintenance-free, activity-filled, and engaging lifestyle while having peace of mind that all your medical needs are taken care of. Contact us today to schedule a personal visit at 1.800.200.5433 or email: info@rivermead.org.