What Are the Signs of Caregiver Stress and Burnout?
There are so many reasons that family caregivers decide to take care of the people they love. Over time, those duties grow and become much larger, contributing to the stress that caregivers experience. If family caregivers don’t pay attention to self-care and reducing caregiver stress, they may eventually experience burnout. 24-hour home care is one solution that can help families to manage caregiving duties in a way that reduces stress and the likelihood of caregiver burnout.
Caregiver Stress vs. Burnout
Caregiver stress and burnout might sound at first as if they’re the same thing, but they’re different. In the most basic terms, stress is going to occur, but it’s manageable. Burnout happens if stress isn’t managed properly and continues to grow. Family caregivers can come back from the effects of stress and continue to take care of the seniors they love, but burnout can be so impactful that family caregivers have to step back altogether.
Symptoms of Caregiver Stress
Caregiver stress often presents as a situation where family caregivers feel overwhelmed or worried a lot of the time. They may also be tired and have difficulty with their sleep schedules. They may not be eating well or enough and their moods may be tough to manage. Having help from home care providers and taking time for self-care can reduce stress and allow family caregivers to recover a bit. It’s very common for family caregivers to notice these symptoms ramping up and start to realize that they need to take action to reduce their stress.
Burnout Symptoms
Burnout, on the other hand, can also have some of these symptoms, but they’re not alleviated through a few hours of rest. Family caregivers experiencing burnout may also find that they feel sad or frustrated most of the time and may no longer be interested in activities they used to love. Physical aches and pains, headaches, and other ailments may be more common than usual as well. Family caregivers approaching burnout may also start to have more trouble with substance abuse as a way to try to self-medicate.
Solving Stress and Burnout Before They’re Severe
The key to all of this for family caregivers is to reduce stress and burnout before they cause massive problems. Stress management gives family caregivers the opportunity to avoid serious repercussions from both stress and burnout. Working with experienced elder care providers ensures that seniors have the support they need while family caregivers can take time away to focus on their own needs.
Getting Around-the-clock Assistance
Around-the-clock help is another solution for families to consider. This type of help expands on what home care offers. 24-hour home care providers are available through the day and the night, which can allow family caregivers to get the sleep they desperately need in order to reduce stress and be ready for the demands of caregiving.
Taking better care of themselves allows family caregivers to take better care of the seniors in their charge. 24-hour home care providers offer valuable help during the day and overnight so that families have the support they need most.