Sometimes we become so engrossed caring for a loved one that we forget to take care of ourselves. When it comes to caring for an elderly relative, this isn’t a surprise. We love our family and we would do anything for them, but that doesn’t mean we can do everything for them, unfortunately. Trying to do too much can actually be counterproductive, and this leads to a poorer quality of care–something that we obviously want to avoid at all costs. Elder care is an easy solution to this.
The issue can go beyond mere exhaustion, though. There have been plenty of studies conducted on what has commonly become to be known as “caregiver burnout,” and they agree that this can lead to depression and anxiety. A recent study has indicated that these symptoms tend to get a little bit better over time, but this doesn’t mean that it’s a pleasant experience, or one that you absolutely must go through. Caregiver burnout is avoidable with help, especially with in-home care. Whether or not this is the best choice for you is up to you, but a caregiver can take much of the stress off of you and allow you to love your family without the accompanying anxiety that could cause you to resent them.
In-home care is not invasive, nor is it a sign of weakness in your capabilities as a family member. Rather, it is a way for you to be a better provider. It keeps you mentally healthy so that you can make better use of your time while you are with your elderly loved one in need. It doesn’t need to be a full-time thing, but only when you need it. If you need a caregiver while you’re at work, this can be arranged, or if you just need it once in a while, a respite care plan can be set up, too. It all depends upon your individual needs.
For some people, all that they need to avoid caregiver burnout is a feeling of control over the situation. You can’t control your parent’s aging, nor can you fully control their symptoms, but there are some things that you can have sway over. Your workload is one of these. Working smarter, rather than harder, is something that we all strive to do, but are you actually doing this? Outsourcing a portion of the care of your loved one can be just this. It allows you to make sure that everything that needs to be done is done, and it also allows you to take care of the personal things going on in your life. Whether it be your job, other relationships, or just getting away from it all for a few hours, a caregiver can be a huge help.
If you let yourself burnout, it will take a toll on your health, both mental and physical. You need to make sure that you are healthy in order to keep other people healthy, too, so this should be one of your highest priorities when helping a loved one. This does entail a bit of relinquishing control, seemingly, but in the end, the care of your parent will be addressed much better, giving you more power to address problems that may pop up.
Leave a Reply