A key to being a senior caregiver is keeping your life in balance. This sounds simple until you have multiple tasks pulling you in several directions at once, and you end up trying to do more than you can manage. Something has to give, and it will probably be you unless you come up with some strategies for regaining your physical and mental energies, and renewing your motivation.
Some signs of caregiver burnout are as follows:
- Rapid weight change
- Persistent headaches
- More frequent illnesses
- Stomach aches
- Exhaustion
- Increased use of alcohol and/or medications
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Depression
- Feelings of isolation
- Withdrawal from family and friends
- Suicidal thoughts
Yet you persist, because you are a caring person who can’t let the person you are caring for down. You are not someone who gives up when things get tough.
And although you are filled with compassion for the senior you are caring for, you must also have some compassion for yourself. Mental and physical rest isn’t a weakness, it is a biological need.
Strategies to Avoid Burnout
Remember why you are there. In dealing with all the daily details, it’s easy to lose sight of the larger picture—why did you decide to provide care for your aging senior? You wanted your senior to live as well as possible, and so you did what caring people do—you got involved. Take some satisfaction in the fact that you are making a positive difference. Your effort does have a purpose.
Accept what you cannot change. There is only so much you can do as a senior caregiver. Some things in the life of your aging senior cannot be avoided or changed. A chronic illness, dementia or a loss of physical abilities are distinct and irreversible possibilities. But accepting these realities does not mean giving up. It means finding the best way through all the challenges you and your senior loved one face together.
Get proper rest. Sleep is essential to every process in your body, affecting your physical and mental functioning. Without adequate sleep, each task and responsibility seems much larger than when you are well rested.
Rest is also more than just sleep. It means taking breaks during the day and pacing yourself. Find someone to give you a break, or at least set aside a few minutes each day to not be doing the next thing on an unending list. Pacing yourself will actually make you more productive in the long run because you are replenishing your energy. You can’t run a marathon at full speed.
Get organized. Create a daily schedule. Set priorities so you don’t become overwhelmed with constant on-the-fly decisions throughout the day.
Caregiver burnout can also occur because often you find yourself trying to solve the same problems over and over.
Consider a caregiver app that you can use to maintain and update important information, get appointments, receive medication reminders, log activities, and make notes from physician appointments.
When you organize, remember that plans and goals are worthwhile, as long as they are flexible enough to account for the unexpected.
Record your achievements at the end of the day so that you can look back on all the good things you accomplished.
Exercise. It may seem that time and energy are the very things you lack as a senior caregiver. And both are a requirement for exercise. But exercise is not only vital for your health, it is, according to Harvard Health Publishing, a source of energy.
Exertion causes your body to produce more mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cells, which work to create fuel from the food you eat and increase your body’s energy supply.
Do a daily self-check. While you are monitoring the wellbeing of your senior, run a daily check on yourself. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Did I get 7-8 hours of sleep last night?
- Did I eat 3 nutritious meals and a snack today?
- Did I drink enough fluids today?
- Did I get any exercise today?
- Did I do something I enjoyed today?
- Did I spend some time with someone other than the person I am caring for today?
Find ways to be positive. Whether it’s inspiration from a movie, a documentary, an upbeat YouTube video or an inspirational book, find something uplifting to watch or read.
Try something new. Make a list of the things you are grateful for. Take a few moments to enjoy your favorite music.
Also, enjoy the moments you share with your senior. Talk, review a family photo album, play games, prepare a meal together.
Laughter is a great way to find positivity. Share a joke with your senior or a friend, or listen to a comedy routine. Laughter has been shown to strengthen the immune system, boost mood, diminish pain, and protect people from the damaging effects of stress.
Seek help. Forcing yourself to go beyond your limits is not only self-destructive, it also negatively affects the quality of care you are able to provide for your senior. Whether it be another family member or a friend, or hiring a professional caregiver, you need to explore your help options.
You can join an online support group of caregivers and receive encouragement, advice and the opportunity to share your stories with other caregivers. https://www.caregiveraction.org/join
For more tips on caregiving, visit Bethesda’s Care Management blog.
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