How Can I Prevent Caregiver Burnout?

Question: How Can I Prevent Caregiver Burnout?

Caregiver burnout is when a caregiver is so stressed and drained that they themselves have trouble functioning and helping take care of someone. Caregivers face untold amounts of stress -- and when caregivers are stressed, everything just seems to fall apart.

Answer: Whether you are a caregiver yourself, you are benefiting from a caregiver or you know someone who is a caregiver -- lots can be done to help avoid caregiver burnout. There are really two aspects to caregiver burnout that you should think about. We'll call those functional burnout and emotional burnout.

Functional burnout is simply the person lacking the resources (time and money usually) to get everything done. The caregiver feels overwhelmed and his or her responsibilities seem impossible to meet. Here's where the caregiver could really use some practical help to make sure everything gets done. You can pitch in. My philosophy is to simply ask the caregiver what would be most helpful. You may be surprised by what he or she says. A simple stop at the grocery store or a driving their loved one to a doctor's appointment may make all the difference. Don't assume you know what is going to help (some types of help, though well meaning, can actually create more work). Offer some suggestions for help: sitting with loved one for an afternoon, preparing some meals, researching about various treatments or helping the caregiver with tasks in his/her own life (like cooking for the caregiver's family, taking the caregivers kids to the movies or cleaning the caregiver's house).

Emotional burnout: Being a caregiver is hard, demanding work. Being a caregiver for someone you love is incredibly draining. Caregivers may have a wide range of emotions that they are dealing with (from anger to grief). Emotional burnout is much harder to prevent. Start by being available to simply listen to the caregiver. Good listening means listening without judging or trying to offer suggestions. Just listen. You can also help out emotionally by assisting the caregiver get enough rest, eat well and exercise. Emotions can build up and those three things can help relieve negative emotions (for a while, at least).

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_{Source: Caregiver Stress Alzheimer's Association}