Mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion are issues many caregivers experience when they take on the role with little knowledge or without a proper plan in place. The stress could lead to fatigue, agitation, and depression. However, using the tips below is a great way to protect your wellbeing, lowering the risk of caregiver burnout while being able to meet your senior loved one’s daily needs.
Ask for Help
Caregiver burnout is often due to a lack of free time and overwhelming responsibilities. Therefore, before taking on the role, speak with other family members and close friends to decide who will assist. Try to share the duties equally. If this is impossible, only take on what you can without putting your needs on the back burner.
Remember, you’re not the only person who can care for your parent, even if your siblings don’t step up. If others are unable to help, consider hiring a professional caregiver. Professional caregivers have the skills, time, and expertise you can trust. They can step in while you’re regrouping or balancing your work schedule without disrupting your loved one’s care.
Seniors can face a variety of age-related challenges. Though some families choose to take on the caregiving duties, there may come a time when they need a trusted home care Annapolis provider. Families sometimes need respite from their duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities, and some seniors need around-the-clock assistance that their families are not able to provide. Assisting Hands Home Care is here to help.
Learn More about Your Loved One’s Health Conditions
Often, caregiver burnout appears due to fear of the unknown. Many caregivers assume that when their loved ones are diagnosed with specific conditions, it means the end is near.
Although there may be challenging times ahead, your parent’s physician can give you more details and advise you on steps to take to address the condition or slow down its progression. If the disease has progressed, you should still learn more. Regardless, don’t let the illness overwhelm you and increase the odds of caregiver burnout.
Talk to Others
Joining a caregiver support group, speaking with a family member or close friend, or looking into online resources could prevent depression and lower the risk of caregiver burnout. These are opportunities to share your emotions. It also protects your loved one from believing he or she is an inconvenience.
While speaking with others, you could receive caregiving tips, making your days more manageable. The objective is to be open and honest because bottling up your emotions could cause them to emerge at the wrong time, increasing the odds of burnout.
Hiring professional caregivers can be a wonderful option for family caregivers who are on the verge of burnout. One of the most challenging tasks of helping an elderly relative age in place safely and comfortably is researching agencies that provide in-home care. Annapolis families can turn to Assisting Hands Home Care for reliable, high-quality in-home care for aging adults. We offer 24 hour home care services for seniors who require extensive assistance, and we also offer respite care for family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties.
Take Care of Your Own Health
Failing to eat correctly, exercise regularly, and maintain social ties could negatively impact your health and cause caregiver burnout. It’s easy to skip meals when you’re having difficulty balancing work, family life, and your caregiving duties. Putting off a workout or lunch with friends is likely if you need to step in and monitor your loved one’s care for more hours a week than expected.
If you continue to push your health needs aside, the odds of depression can increase. As a result, it could negatively affect your mental health. Therefore, practicing self-care is just as essential as being a great caregiver to your loved one.
Family caregivers don’t have to put their own wellbeing at risk to make sure their loved ones receive proper support. Caring for a senior loved one can be rewarding, but it can also be overwhelming for family caregivers who have other responsibilities they need to focus on. For these families, the perfect solution is respite care. Annapolis families rely on our caregivers whenever they need time to rest, work, run errands, and even go on vacation. For compassionate, reliable in-home care, trust the experienced professionals from Assisting Hands Home Care. Reach out to one of our dedicated Care Managers today at (667) 226-9360 to learn about the high quality of our in-home care services.
