When it’s your job to oversee the health and wellbeing of an aging loved one, it’s easy to let your own needs fall by the wayside. However, leaving your own wellbeing on the back burner for too long can easily increase your risk of caregiver burnout. How do you know if you’re at risk for getting burned out? Ask yourself the following questions.
Are You Becoming More Impatient with Your Loved One?
In the beginning, you were likely more than happy to forfeit time and energy to help your loved one. However, without help from other family members or a professional caregiver, your willpower can easily disintegrate. Watch out for feelings of frustration or impatience and consider respite care to alleviate some of the burden.
Having the help of a home caregiver can offer you a huge amount of relief. Caring for a senior loved one can be rewarding, but it can also be overwhelming for family caregivers who have other responsibilities they need to focus on. For these families, the perfect solution is respite care. Lincoln families rely on our caregivers whenever they need time to rest, work, run errands, and even go on vacation.
Are You Continually Fatigued?
Caregiver fatigue is common among people who devote most or all of their time to caring for aging loved ones. Fatigue is one of the many root causes of caregiver burnout. Many family caregivers attribute their fatigue to leading busy lifestyles or juggling multiple roles and responsibilities.
Do You Feel as if Life Will Never Get Easier?
When you’re stuck in a perpetual routine of caring for another person, it can seem as though life will never have anything else in store for you. This is a common feeling connected to caregiving and can often leave caregivers feeling overwhelmed and unenthusiastic about the future.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your caregiving responsibilities, you don’t have to manage everything on your own. Seniors can face a variety of age-related challenges. Though some families choose to take on the caregiving duties, there may come a time when they need a trusted elderly home care provider. Families sometimes need respite from their duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities, and some seniors need around-the-clock assistance that their families are not able to provide. Home Care Assistance is here to help.
Do You No Longer Enjoy Your Favorite Hobbies or Interests?
When people are generally unhappy, they lose interest in things they once loved. Working hard to optimize quality of life for someone else can leave you feeling unmotivated and have no desire to meet with friends or pursue your favorite hobbies.
If you’re experiencing caregiver burnout, consider looking for a professional caregiver who’s compassionate, reliable, and experienced in senior home care. One of the most challenging tasks of helping an elderly relative age in place safely and comfortably is researching agencies that provide home care. Lincoln families can turn to Home Care Assistance for reliable, high-quality in-home care for aging adults. We offer 24-hour live-in care for seniors who require extensive assistance, and we also offer respite care for family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties. To create a comprehensive in-home care plan for your parent, give us a call at (916) 226-3737 today.