Home Care helps manage Family Carer Stress
Caregiver stress is defined as a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. As a family carer, you are providing immeasurable care to your loved ones. But who is caring for you? Burnout often occurs when caregivers don’t get the support they require or they try to do too much on their own.
Some of the signs include withdrawal from friends and family, loss of interest, feeling blue and thoughts of self-harm. Such signs are often similar to depression so it can be difficult to identify caregiver burnout. Feeling powerless is often the first sign of Carer stress, particularly if you feel stuck in a role and you take on the responsibility of caring for your loved one, it can include physical tasks, medication reminders, dressing, meal preparation, transportation to appointments, and more. Figure out what is realistic for you to be able to do and include setting realistic goals for caring for your loved one, developing tools for coping and using home care services such as Home Care Assistance.
You make demands on your body all day so that you can meet the needs of your loved one. This exhaustion can cause you to become anxious, irritable, and edgy, wondering how much longer you can continue to do this. You are not alone in your exhaustion. Time to relax is important for your productivity as a caregiver. By using the help of home care services you can participate in relaxation activities can include maintaining friendships, making time for hobbies such as reading or playing with dogs and spending time out of the house.
Many family carers have not been trained on how to provide care for their loved one. You might not fully understand your loved one’s limitations or disease, as many progressive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease can change quickly or even change day-to-day. Professional Home care services like Home Care Assistance have teams that consist of the best caregivers in the industry with each employee carefully screened for their skills and compassion. Once hired, our caregivers go through specialised training for the Balanced Care Method and the Cognitive Therapeutics Method to help meet the needs of our clients.
As a caregiver, leisure time may seem like a luxury. However, you owe it to yourself and the person you are caring for to give yourself permission to do the things that you enjoy. Carer stress is easily preventable if you follow a few simple steps. By setting realistic goals, using home care if required and giving yourself leisure time; your chances of developing caregiver burnout will be significantly reduced.
