Caregiver Burnout

Caregiver Burnout
By Jeanne Slayton

Do you have “caregiver burnout”?

Some signs, causes, and solutions for caregiver burnout in the Triad of North Carolina

Are you:

- Withdrawing from friends, family, and other loved ones?

- Feeling blue?

- Experiencing changes in sleeping patterns?

- Feeling like you want to hurt yourself or the person you’re caring for?

- Irritable?

- Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy?

- Seeing changes in your appetite, weight or both?

- Getting sick more often?

- Emotionally or physically exhausted?

Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. Burnout can occur when caregivers don’t get the help they need or if they try to do more than they are able to do.

Causes of Caregiver Burnout
Caregivers are often so busy caring for others that they tend to neglect their own emotional, physical and spiritual health. The demands on a caregiver’s body, mind, and emotions can easily seem overwhelming, leading to fatigue and hopelessness - and ultimately, burnout. Other factors that can lead to caregiver burnout include:

Role confusion - It can be difficult for a person to separate his or her role as a caregiver from their role as a spouse, lover, child, friend, etc.

Lack of control - many caregivers become frustrated by a lack of resources and skills to effectively plan, manage, and organize their loved one’s care.

Unreasonable demands - some caregivers place unreasonable burdens upon themselves because they often think that providing care is their exclusive responsibility when it shouldn’t be.

Preventing Caregiver Burn-out
Find someone you trust, such as a friend, co-worker or neighbor, to talk about your feelings and frustrations. Use community resources to your advantage. Get in touch with your church, the local senior center, or such organizations as the Alzheimer’s Association.

Be willing to accept that you may need help with caregiving, or routine tasks and turn to others for help with some tasks. When family and friends ask what they can do to help, give them a task, even if it is doing the dishes while you sit down for a moment.

Don’t forget about yourself! Set aside time for yourself, even if it’s just an hour or two. Remember, taking care of yourself is NOT a luxury - it is an absolute necessity!

Take advantage of outside help. Find a company that provides good in-home care and use them, even if only for a couple of hours once a week. Use that time to go to the grocery store, or go to the park, knowing that your loved one is well taken care of.

Jeanne Slayton is the Case Manager/Community Relations Coordinator for Senior Helpers of the Triad. She is dedicated to helping provide the best care and resources for the seniors in her area. For more information please contact her at  [mailto:jslayton@seniorhelpers.com]jslayton@seniorhelpers.com or visit Senior Helpers on the web at http://www.seniorhelpers.com

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