iSavta | 24.05.2021

Many of you have surely heard of caregiver burden or you might also be familiar with the different challenges involved when it comes to rendering care for an elderly loved one.

Although most people know about these distinct occupational hazards, a lot of family caregivers still feel that they don’t have the power of changing their situations. As a result, they usually turn a blind eye to their physical, emotional, as well as financial difficulties. But, this kind of denial will only create the perfect space for burnout to form and grow.

 

Caregiver Burden – What is It?

Caregiver burden describes the physical, social, financial, and mental effects of caring for people who are ill or have functional impairments. While the term is applicable to both unpaid and paid caregivers, most of the time, caregiver burden is used when referring to the unpaid caregivers or also known as informal caregivers who are often family members of the impaired or ill care receivers.

This phenomenon was originally studied among family members who care for their loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease as well as other types of dementia. For the past several decades, it has been revealed through research that specific factors can increase the risks of a person to suffer from caregiver burden such as being a woman, social isolation, spending more hours offering care, financial stress, depression, and not having any other choices but to be a family caregiver.

 

Common Signs of an Increasing Caregiver Burden

That demoralizing sense of dread is one of the most telltale signs of growing resentment and stress.

It is already a serious problem if you sleep at night with feelings of anguish because of the chores you will have to deal with the next day and waking up the next morning with that feeling of reluctance and heaviness to continue with whatever you are doing.

Caregivers filled with dread may soon feel hate towards their day to day routines as a caregiver even when they love the person they are caring for. It is also ironic that most of them firmly resist all those suggestions to tweak their routines as if even the smallest change will be equivalent to completely giving up. These caregivers will have a hard time struggling unhappily every month until the time comes that they can no longer emotionally or physically force themselves to get out of bed any longer.

Caregivers are also cautioned to pay attention to the worsening or new tendency to experience or yell their emotional outbursts. This is not only about those caregivers who feel frustrated every now and then and sharply scold the care recipient. More importantly, it is about caregivers who often lose control of their personal emotions and end up doing or saying hurtful things too often.

Caregivers need to look for alternative means to ensure that their loved ones receive the care they need and deserve. Caregiver burden is something that must be addressed right away before it leads to more serious problems.