Caregiving may bring
numerous rewards. The core value of the caregivers is being there for loved
ones when they need them. Caregiving job can build a new closeness with the
person you are caring for and bring a flood of emotions. There is a great
responsibility for the caregiver when they aretaking care of an elderly parent in your home. To know more tips about handling caregiver’s stress, go ahead and
have a look.
Causes of Caregiver Stress
A caregiver is a person
who cares for an elderly person suffering from chronic illness. Caregivers perform
a wide range of tasks with their maximum care and effort. Caregivers are so
busy caring for elderly parents that they tend to forget about their own
emotions, spiritual and physical health. This gives rise to caring for elderly
parents’ stressalong with a feeling of being tired of caring for elderly parents.
This often comes at the price of two types of burnout in caregivers - either
physical or mental. This negligence helps to develop caregiver stress and
burnout. This, in turn, has the emotional effects of caring for an elderly
parent. The result indepression caring for elderly parentswhich in turn is one
of the manycauses of caregiver stress.
Caregiver stress and burnout
Extensive stress and
mental pressure may be a cause for caregiver stress and burnout. Caregiver
burnout is a phase of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. It may be
enhanced by a certain change in behavior, from positive to negative
transformation in care and concern.
When you can no longer
care for an elderly parent you have to look for a caregiver. You have to take
care of caregiver stress and burnout.The factors that can lead to caregiver
burnout include confusion in the caregiver role. A caregiver who is not aware
of how to deal with irrational elderly parents often takes some unreasonable
burden upon themselves and the situation goes out of their control.
Caregiver Burnout vs Compassion Fatigue
If you want to take
care of an elderly parent at homethen you need to recognize the types of
burnout in caregivers. You need to learn to distinguish cases of caregiver
burnout vs compassion fatigue. Always beware of caregiver anger and resentment
and apply caregiver burnout prevention tips accordingly.
Burnout may lead to
caregiver mood swings resulting in the physical effects of caregiving, like
loss or gain of weight, loss of sleep and fatigue. Caregiver burnout is closely
related to compassion fatigue. With
compassion fatigue, the caregiver goes into a self-isolation and start ignoring
family members and friends. Due to their loneliness, they may not want anybody
around them for their help. Fatigue can cause weight gain or weight loss, drug
or alcohol addiction and sleep apnea.
Caregiver Emotions: Anger and Resentment
Anger is an emotion
that is particularly challenging for caregivers. Anger and anxiety are the emotional
effects of caring for an elderly parent.When a person who the caregiver is
caring for is too aggressive and also simultaneously tries to cope with the
grief, it may show some unexpected and unusual change in the caregiver’s
attitude. Then the first thing to recognize is anger which is quite natural.
Resentment is the
caregiver’s little secret that can be a sense of guilt and shame when they
develop anger. Resentment grows up when there is no option to outlet their
feeling angry and hurt.
7 Tips to Handle Caregiver Stress
A caregiver when takes care
of an elderly parent they deal with a lot of emotional and physical demands
that may lead them to develop extensive stress and depression. Here are some caregiver
burnout prevention tips to apply when taking care of elderly parents in your
home:
●Join a support group:
a support group can provide encouragement and validation tips as well as some
strategies to manage difficult situations. The support team can be a great
place to understand the meaning of friendship.
●Set personal health
goals: many caregivers have issues with physical and emotional health. Set
healthy goals such as taking out time to do physical activities, trying to set
up a good sleep routine, consuming a healthy diet and taking plenty of drinks.
●Seek help from social
support: make an effort to stay in touch with family and friends. Try to be
well-connected with the closest person who can offer non-judgemental emotional
support.
●Get socially
connected: try to find out about caregiver resources in your community. Many
communities have to provide special classes for the caregiver and help them to
learn better ways of caregiving.
●Appoint a doctor:
consult with a doctor for a routine check-up. A caregiver can discuss their
stress with doctors and doctors will guide them regarding their stress release.
●Focus on what you can
provide: feeling sometimes guilty is quite natural but a caregiver has to
understand that no one is a perfect caregiver. They have to keep faith in their
decision and work in a difficult situation.
●Accept other’s help: should
not be hesitating to take instant help from others. A friend or a family member
can help to get control over the mind. Set a time in a week for connecting with
them or for going to a walk with a friend.
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