November is Family Caregiver Awareness Month
There have been over 43 million people who have cared for an adult or a child in 2015. These people are designated as “unpaid caregivers” to distinguish them from aides or other professionals who provide care as part of their jobs. Some of these individuals are family caregivers. Family caregivers can include a parent caring for a child, a child caring for an aging parent, or any other family member who provides care for another family member, such as a spouse caring for a spouse.
While this job is rewarding, there is a fair amount of stress that comes with it. Sometimes the stress comes from helping the individual coordinate their care, if the individual has an injury or illness that takes away their ability to assist with their care, or if the family caregiver is also working a full-time job while providing care. The stress can become overwhelming for the caregiver.
One of the biggest issues with family caregiving is caregiver burnout. When the individual providing care becomes so stressed and tired that they are unable to continue providing care, or they begin to suffer health problems as a result. It is imperative that while the individual is providing care for another, that they make sure they also take care of themselves. There are several ways they can do this. First is to try to find someone to care for the individual, even for short periods, so that they the caregiver can take a break. If it is 24/7 care, then the individual will need time to rest, eat, and take care of their personal affairs. Another way is to either coordinate with family members or hire people to help with the care. Transferring and bathing an individual can be difficult to do alone if the individual is larger, has a lot of medical issues, or is completely unable to assist in their own care. Hiring a professional has the added benefit of them being able to show you how to do things easier based on best practices and their own personal experience.
It is important for the caregiver to have a trusted friend or therapist to speak with concerning their fears and general thoughts regarding their caregiving. By speaking with other individuals, the caregiver’s mind can be put at ease, and they can have the ability to de-stress by talking to someone else. This is an excellent way to reduce the occurrence of caregiver burnout.
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