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Caregiver Burnout Prevention
As the aging population continues to grow in the United States, life expectancy
increases, and the number of frail seniors grows, more families will need to deal
with caregiving issues for their elderly. Caregiving can be a burden physically,
financially, and emotionally. According to the Family Caregiving in the US: Findings
from a National Survey (1997), the 3 types of stressors include less time for other
family members and personal activities, physical or mental health problems, and
financial hardship. Other burdens included the words stressful, obligation, duty,
burdened, tired, and exhausting. The following tips can help prevent caregiver
burnout:
Recognize your potential for caregiver burnout by knowing yourself and taking a
reality check of your situation, limitations, resources, etc. Learn more about the
illness of your care receiver, strategies for caregiving, and community resources.
Develop strategies for coping. For instance, eating right, getting enough exercise
and sleep, taking an occasional break from caregiving, lightening up, having positive
attitudes. Be sure to ask for help whenever it is needed. There is no perfect
caregiver. Joining a support group can be beneficial.
Write down a list of tasks that a caregiver needs to do, and decide which of those
tasks you, other family members, or friends can do. What community services can you
use and what other resources are available to you? This list will help achieve a
balance.
Prioritize your tasks. It's hard to get everything done in a day. Plan your
day by assigning priorities to help reduce the chance of burnout. Be sure to reward
yourself. Remember the saying, "By the yard it's hard, but by the inch it's a cinch."Nina Chen, ChenN@missouri.edu
Regional Specialist, Human Development
Jackson County, Missouri
University of Missouri Extension
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