Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Stress
Burnout is a significant factor for people who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s at home. While keeping your family member in familiar surroundings sounds simple enough, the stress that comes from caring for someone who is moving into dementia can become a many-pronged threat to your own health. If you are run down, increasingly angry, seeing your own illnesses slowly increase in severity, or feeling more anxious, this is the time to take stock of your situation and take action.
Take steps today to protect yourself
The little things are bigger than you think. One of the burdens of care giving is simply keeping up with all the increased chores. You may be able to get help from friends and family. Confide in the people you trust that you are feeling the fear of burning out. If they have never heard of caregiver burnout, inform them. Even if you can’t get help in dividing up tasks, the people who love you deserve to know what’s going on with you.
Give yourself lots of small breaks while helping your loved one. Take a break between chores to walk outside for fresh air, write in a journal, take some deep breaths to calm your mind. You may even want to take a longer break to recover. Look into professional respite care so you can take a break for a day or a few weeks to recharge your own batteries while skilled caregivers step in to substitute temporarily.
Don’t neglect or sacrifice your own physical and mental health. Keep up with your own checkups. Let your doctor know about the situation you’re in as a caregiver. Look into getting help, if needed, with any lingering depression or anxiety.
When you think about it, more than your own well being is at stake. Your loved one suffers too if you experience caregiver burnout.
At Mayberry Gardens, we understand the challenges of Alzheimer care. Mayberry Gardens is a special assisted living and memory care residence providing family-style living for those seniors who need assistance, but don’t require full time skilled nursing care. Reach out to us to arrange a visit, so you can understand what your options are for reclaiming your own health and well being while giving your loved one the quality care, comfort and dignity we all want.