Caregiver Burnout – Tips To Alleviate Stress From A Caregiver

There is a mental, physical and financial toll effecting our nations caregivers. It is important to recognize all the efforts caregivers are making to care for family and loved ones. The desire to help others is healthy and very human, especially following medical episodes but ongoing caregiving can become overwhelming, and this impact can be deep.

Caregivers often forego the care they need for themselves leading to the inevitable burnout. Statistically, nonpaid caregivers report activities of enjoyment in their day-to-day life are often reduced due to their responsibilities of caregiving. Feelings of isolation and overwhelmingness leading to burnout can come from things like:

• Consistently getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep
• Difficulty finding time to eat regular meals
• Spending little to no time on vacation
• Inability to craft “friend time” or take part in enjoyable hobbies

In a recent discussion with a caregiver, she shared the difficulty she had in being embedded in the Sandwich Generation. “I am the quintessential Sandwich Generation caring for my 96-year-old mother and 42-year-old disabled daughter. I am constantly helping to feed, bathe, assist in daily living activities, schedule and drive to and from doctor appointments and much more. I find it difficult to have time for me.”

When asked, "What are measures you have in place to bring peace of mind and decreased stress into your days?”, respite and technology was at the forefront of tools in this caregiver’s corner.

More and more seniors are preferring to age in place. There is now a growing number of respite options and technologies to help lighten the load on caregivers and assist in ensuring loved ones are safe, as independent as possible, receiving the care they need and offering the much-needed mental break on care providers.

Here is a listing of 4 methods readily used in this care providers home:

• Caregiving Coordination System
  The right in-home care agency will help to reduce caregiver stress and ensure access to resources and top-level services that help establish a heightened quality of care, education opportunities for proactive disease management, and reduction in length of stay visits or hospital admissions.
• Remote Monitoring
  The use of technology by way of monitoring during sleeping hours specifically has brought peace of mind into the home. Notifications on movement and getting up and down habits has allowed this caregiver to sleep peacefully until notifications arrive. Prior to remote monitoring, this caregiver was up and down 5x or more a night.
• Virtual Physician Visits
  Virtual visits have shown a large potential in reducing caregiver stress by allowing the opportunity to arrange visits at home and take less time and expense when in office visits are not necessary. ”Physical limitations with unloading a wheelchair or risking infections inside offices make virtual physician visits more beneficial.”, says this caregiver.
• Online Support Groups
  Engaging in a community of likeminded individuals from the comfort of one’s own home has provided emotional support. Receiving practical strategies, advice and shared experiences in a welcoming space relieves feelings of isolation.

An opportunity to simplify a care providers life or that of loved one’s using respite care and technology has benefits!

If you are caregiver or individual looking for in-home services and are questioning what to think about, speak with Home Care Providers today.

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