Are You at Risk for Caregiver Burnout?

Moderate to Severe Alzheimer’s: Managing Your Loved One’s Care
Are You at Risk for Caregiver Burnout?

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be more stressful than caring for people with other serious diseases.

That’s because people with Alzheimer’s disease often need care for decades, rather than a few months or years, says Mary Guerriero Austrom, PhD, an expert on caregivers and Alzheimer’s disease at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

Also, over time, people with Alzheimer’s need more and more help with basic needs.

As a result, if you’re caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, you have a higher risk of stress and depression.

You may also start to feel burned out. Your body and mind feel exhausted and you become less able to keep providing care.

Learn to spot the signs of burnout and take steps to avoid it.
Recognize Burnout Before It Arrives

Watch out for these symptoms of caregiver burnout:

Growing frustration and lack of patience with the person you’re taking care of
Fatigue
Feeling overwhelmed with all your duties
Tearfulness
A sense that life isn’t ever going to get better or easier
Lack of pleasure in things you used to enjoy
Changes in your appetite or sleep patterns
Abuse of alcohol, medications, or illicit drugs

If you think you’re getting burned out, talk to a doctor, Austrom says. Your own doctor may be able to help, and so may the doctor who treats the person for whom you’re acting as a caregiver.
Go Easy on Your Loved One and Yourself

Resist the urge to correct your loved one’s behaviors or word choices, says Marsha Lewis, PhD. Lewis is dean of the School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo.

Try not to argue with people with Alzheimer’s, even when you know their point of view isn’t correct. Trying to be “right” takes time and adds needless stress to your life.

Also, don’t try to be the perfect caregiver.

“Most healthy older adults, when asked about their preferences for care if they can no longer care for themselves, say ‘I wouldn’t want to be a burden on my children,'” Austrom says. Your parent, spouse, or other loved one likely wouldn’t want you to wear yourself out. Know your limits and try not to push past them.
Find Help

You’re less likely to burn out if you share caregiving tasks with other people, Austrom says.

Consider these options:

Ask friends and family to help. Some caregivers use online calendars so the people in their lives can easily sign up to handle tasks. The Alzheimer’s Association offers a “care team calendar” on its web site.

You may also bring your circle of friends and family together through Facebook or other social media.

Enroll your loved one in an adult day care program for people with Alzheimer’s. He or she can visit with other people while you enjoy a few hours to run errands or simply relax.
Find Help continued…

Find alternate care for a few weeks. Your loved one with Alzheimer’s may be able to stay for a week or two at a long-term care facility. That will give you a break. Caregivers have told Austrom that these breaks helped them relax and feel more able to provide their caregiving duties.

Share some tasks with a home health aide. If you hire a home health aide part time, they can drop in and help with some of the caregiving tasks.

Contact your Area Agency on Aging. Doing this, says Linda Davis, PhD, RN, professor emerita at Duke University, can point you toward other resources that may be able to help. These resources include adult day cares and home health services. You can find your agency’s contact number through the web sites of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging or the U.S. Administration on Aging.
Talk to Other Caregivers

Make time to visit a support group for caregivers in your area.

At a support group, you may learn ways to have less stress while you care for your loved one. You’ll also see how other caregivers are dealing with their own challenges, Austrom says.

You can also try an online support group. The Alzheimer’s Association, for example, hosts an online community group.
Protect Your Own Health

“Sometimes caregivers, in their zeal to care for their loved ones, will stop taking care of themselves,” Austrom says.

They can become sick and fatigued, leaving them even less able to handle their caregiving tasks.

To make sure you stay healthy, don’t forget to:

See your doctor on a regular basis
Keep your prescriptions filled and take them as prescribed
Exercise daily, even if it’s just a 20-minute walk
Try to get enough sleep

You may also want to consider talking to a counselor about the stress you have and the emotions you may be feeling as you help your loved one face Alzheimer’s.
Appreciate the Moment

As you tend to one caregiving task after another, time can slip by faster than you realize.

“I’ve met caregivers who tell me, ‘I lost five years of my life. I wish I’d done things differently,’ Austrom says. “Taking time for pleasant events is important.”

During this caregiving phase in your life, be sure to seek out, enjoy, and remember plenty of positive moments.

At least once a week, do something fun with your family or friends, enjoy the outdoors, or do something else that brings you pleasure. You count, too.

Source: Web MD