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What is Caregiver burnout and its reasons?

Caregiver burnout affects caregivers in the form of physical, emotional, and mental tiredness. It might be linked to a shift in attitude, from caring and positive to uncaring and negative one. Burnout occurs when you don't obtain the aid you need or when you try to do more than you can physically or financially do. Burned-out caregivers may experience weariness, worry, anxiety, and sadness. Many caregivers also feel terrible if they devote more time to themselves than to their sick or ageing loved ones.

Symptoms of Caregiver burnout

Recognizable Symptoms of Caregiver Burnout : Following are the symptoms to look for if you think you or your caregivers are experiencing burnout

• Loss of interest in activities which you enjoyed doing previously
• Cut-off from friends and family 
• Feelings of desire to injure yourself or hurting the person you are caring
• Physical and emotional weariness
• Feeling down, irritable, hopeless, and powerless
• Change in weight, appetite and sleeping pattern
• Feeling sick more often 

 Reasons which cause caregiver burnout?

Caregivers are sometimes so pre-occupied with caring for others that they ignore themselves and their health, which often result to caregiver burnout.

Unrealistic expectations - You may anticipate your care to have a beneficial impact on the person health and happiness you are caring for. Patients with degenerative diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's may find this implausible.

Confused about your role - Being a caretaker may make you feel perplexed. It's difficult to distinguish this function from those of spouse, kid, or friend.

Lack of resources - It can be aggravating to be unable to manage your loved one's care due to a lack of funds, resources, or expertise.

Not recognizing your well-being - You may not realize you're burnt out until you've reached a point where you can't function properly and this will often lead to you becoming severally ill and mentally depressed. 

Ways to prevent caregiver burnout?

• Set attainable objectives. Accept that you may require assistance and delegate certain work to others.

• Recognize your limits and do a self-evaluation of your specific position as to what you can do and what you cannot. Recognize and accept that you may experience caregiver burnout.

• Share your feeling with someone whom you trust. Talk to them about how you feel. Be verbal about your experience and feeling as a caregiver.

• Give sometime to yourself as well. Even if it's only an hour or two. Taking care of yourself isn't a luxury; it's a need if you want to be a good caretaker.

• Be realistic about your loved one's illness, particularly if it's a progressive illness like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

• Make an effort to educate yourself about the disease. You'll be more effective as a caretaker if you know more about the sickness.