Tips and Solutions to Prevent Caregiver Burnout
With a growing senior population, the number of people taking on caregiver duties is expected to increase. In fact, according to Caregiving.org, 53 million adults were caring for loved ones in the U.S. in 2020.
A caregiver’s life can become unbalanced due to the responsibilities associated with this role, which can result in caregiver burnout.
Discover how a senior living community such as Artisan at Hudson can assist you in coping with caregiver burnout, including its causes and symptoms.
Often, caregivers feel obligated to provide the best care possible for their loved ones while managing their activities of daily living or ADLs.
However, meeting the health care needs of an aging relative may cause unexpected challenges. To provide your loved one with the best care, you should watch for burnout symptoms.
These can include:
- Loss of interest in things that once excited you
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Feeling sick all the time
- Feelings of anger, hopelessness and exhaustion
- Gains or losses in weight
- Sleeping difficulties or changes in your sleep pattern
- Growing resentment toward your loved one
When you’re caring for someone, you often have to sacrifice free time, income, and your own schedule. It’s still possible to feel hopeless and guilty, despite the best intentions.
It’s very common to feel exhausted by your caregiving responsibilities. And it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.
Some ways you can stay grounded and in touch with yourself include:
- Avoid overextending yourself. Setting boundaries as a family caregiver can be challenging, and there are times when you may put more pressure on yourself than necessary. Senior living communities provide expert care, meeting the needs you didn’t even know your loved one had.
- Make sure you have adequate resources and support. When aging in place, your loved one will receive limited quality care. The Artisan at Hudson community, on the other hand, offers assisted living and memory care in addition to luxurious accommodations.
- Be prepared for the unexpected, but keep a realistic perspective. You may have idealistic expectations when you begin your caregiver journey, but keep an eye out for signs of burnout. Your loved one’s health can seem to be at a standstill. The truth is that there’s a limit to what an untrained home caregiver can do.
- Take care of yourself so you can be a better caregiver. Almost always, caregivers make sacrifices to fulfill their caregiving responsibilities. However, caregivers can no longer provide the same quality of loving care when they lose touch with their social network, interests and immediate family.
Artisan at Hudson offers superior senior care services in independent living, assisted living, and memory care.
If you’re worried you’re approaching burnout, our assisted living, and memory care services might be able to help your loved one. Schedule a tour and see what everyone’s talking about.